Iran announces naval war games in Strait of Hormuz
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 07:04PM This is how really bad stuff can happen really fast. Uh, Merry Christmas.
Iran will launch 10 days of naval drills from Saturday around the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil-shipping route, reports said, after a rumour earlier this month hinted the country planned to close the waterway.
"Our naval drill will begin from 24 December lasting 10 days covering east of Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman to the Gulf of Aden", navy Adm. Habibollah Sayari said. "This is the first time that we are covering such large area."
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said on December 14th that closing the strait was "not on the agenda," after the rumour that appeared to stem from a comment by an Iranian lawmaker circulated. But Mehmanparast had hinted that the strait, a narrow stretch along Iran's gulf shoreline, could be threatened if current rising tensions in the region ever spilled over into war.
When asked Thursday if the strait will be closed as part of the impending naval drill, Sayari said: "The ability to do so exists . . . whether to go ahead lays with the regime's top officials."
Oil prices spiked dramatically after the rumour, but quickly returned to normal once the rumour was discounted.
To read the rest of the article, click - HERE
Reader Comments