Iran Launches Large-scale Naval Drills Zolfaqar-99 In Strategic Southern Waters

By Staff, Agencies

Iranian Army forces launched large-scale naval drills in the country’s southern waters from east of the Hormuz Strait to the northern Indian Ocean with an aim to enhance the security of regional waters and international shipping routes.

The three-day exercises, dubbed Zolfaqar-99, kicked off on Thursday under the command of the Army’s Zolfaqar base, with observers from the Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base in attendance.

The drills cover an area of two million square kilometers in the eastern waters of the Strait of Hormuz, Makran coast, Oman Sea and North Ocean India up to 10 degrees north.

Units of the Iranian Army’s Air and Ground Forces will contribute to the maneuvers, during which tactical offensive and defensive strategies will be drilled in line with the country’s agenda to safeguard its territorial waters and maritime access routes.

During the military exercises, the Armed Forces will put to test different home-made defense systems, including drones, torpedoes, surface-to-surface and coast-to-sea cruise missiles, surface-to-air and air-to-surface missiles and rocket launchers loaded on vessels.

Commodore Shahram Irani, spokesman for the drills, said the 69th Naval Fleet, including Sahand Destroyer and Bandar Abbas Support Ship, are currently in the Indian Ocean to provide intelligence and monitor foreign and enemy vessels.

Air Force bombers and combat drones will also conduct pre-designed plans during the exercises, he added.