Iran plans new moves in strait

The Fars news agency quotes a Revolutionary Guards naval commander referring to an upcoming exercise as “different” to previous ones.

TEHRAN // Iran is planning new military exercises near the Strait of Hormuz, according to a naval commander, after threatening to close the strait and completing another set of manoeuvres.

One sixth of the world’s oil passes through the strait. Iran’s threat to close the passage if the West imposes sanctions on its own oil exports unsettled an already nervous world oil market.

The semi-official Fars news agency on Thursday quoted the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s naval commander, Adm Ali Fadavi, as saying that the upcoming exercise would be the seventh staging of an annual drill called “The Great Prophet”. Adm Fadavi said the next round of war games would be “different” from previous ones. He did not elaborate. The admiral said the drill would take place in the Iranian month of Bahman, which roughly corresponds to February.

The Guards have the same air, naval and ground branches as the regular military. They are also in charge of Iran’s missile programme.

Iran’s navy ended a 10-day drill in the waters off the strait on Tuesday.

Military officers said the purpose was to show Iran’s prowess and defence capabilities.

The drill, including widely publicised missile tests, was carried out as international criticism mounts over Tehran’s nuclear programme. The West believes the programme is aimed at developing atomic weapons. Iran denies that, insisting that it is for peaceful purposes.

The US has recently tightened sanctions on Iran, banning transaction with Iran’s central bank. That could cripple Iranian oil sales by limiting financial transactions.

Iran threatened to close the strait if the West tried to limit or stop Iran’s own oil exports, which account for 80 per cent of the country’s public revenues. The country regularly conducts manoeuvres and has also been active in fighting piracy in the Gulf of Aden.