Iran plans 'war games'

2006-03-29 21:44

Farhad Pouladi

Tehran - Thousands of Iranian troops will on Friday start a week-long military manoeuvre in the Gulf to ready armed forces for warding off "threats", a senior commander announced on state television.

The commander of the navy of revolutionary guards corps, Rear-Admiral Mostafa Safari, did not specify the nature of the threat although the manoeuvre comes amid increasing tensions with the West over Tehran's nuclear programme.

"The revolutionary guards corps navy and air force in collaboration with (Iran's regular) army, navy, (the volunteer militia) Basij, and the Iranian police will start a manoeuvre from 31 March until 6 April in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman," he said.

Iran has two armed forces in which both have their own ground, naval and air force all under the command of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

He added: "We hope ... We will gain the necessary and needed readiness to decisively reply to any kind of threats."

"More than 17 000 soldiers and sailors will be used, along with 1 500 different kind of vessels, in addition to the different sorts of jet fighter planes, choppers and different missiles," he added, but did not say whether Iran will use its ballistic missiles.

Iran has medium-range Shahab-3 missiles with the capability of 2 000km, able of hitting arch-enemy Israel and US bases across the Middle East.

"The exercise will cover an area stretching from the northern tip of the Persian Gulf all the way to the port city of Chah-Bahar in the Sea of Oman extending 40km into the sea," he said.

In addition, the spokesperson of the manoeuvres, Rear-Admiral Mohammad Ebrahim Dehghan told state television that the strait of Hormouz will be one of the focal points of the exercise.

"Some 80% of the Persian Gulf's oil is shipped out of this strait over which Iran has dominant and accurate control," he said.

"If the enemy wants to make the area insecure, he should be rest assured that he will also suffer from the insecurity, since we know the location of their vessels," he added.

On Wednesday, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned that any attempt at using force or coercion to resolve the standoff over Iran's nuclear programme would be counter-productive.

"Any ideas about a coercive, forceful solution to the issue are highly counter-productive and cannot be supported," Lavrov told reporters in Moscow.

Iran's defence minister, Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, said nearly two months ago that Islamic republic will give an "extremely quick and destructive response" to any attack against its nuclear facilities.

- AFP