Iran's largest naval drills held in Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz

The Islamic Republic of Iran Army (IRIA) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) recently conducted a series of joint naval drills that involved approximately 580 vessels, making this the largest naval exercise ever to be conducted by Iran.

Iran's state television reported that the exercise was conducted in the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz off the country's southern coast on Saturday, September 21.

Local media said that the drills, which also included some of Iran's newest frigates and other warships, were held as part of the commemoration of the anniversary of the start of the Iran-Iraq War that took place from 1980 to 1988.

Observers have noted that the naval drills by the IRIA and the IRGC constituted a show of force, as these were held just one day after a senior commander of Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli air strike on Beirut.