Wed, January 06, 2010
TEHRAN, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) is due to stage maneuvers in the Persian Gulf later this month to test a series of new tactics and weapons, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Wednesday.
IRGC Navy Commander Rear Admiral Morteza Safari announced on Tuesday that "the IRGC Navy's great sea maneuver will be held in the Strait of Hormuz," the report said.
"The drill is aimed at enhancing Iran's military and defense preparedness through relying on the valuable experiences gained during the previous maneuvers in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz," Safari was quoted as saying.
The volatile situation in the region and the presence of alien forces in the Persian Gulf has made Iran always maintain its preparedness, said Safari.
During the past years, Iran concentrated on the enhancement of its naval capabilities by giving a number of roles to its Naval Force, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Basij (the voluntary) forces, by establishing naval bases in both the Gulf and Oman Sea and by staging naval maneuvers.
The United States and Israel have consistently refused to rule out the possibility of military strikes against Iran over its refusal to halt its nuclear program.
The United States and its allies have accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program. Iran has denied the U.S. charges and insisted that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
