US, Allies Start Joint Drill near Hormuz

Local Editor

The United States and its allies launched the ‘largest ever’ naval exercise in the region near Hormuz strait. Navy

The Islamic Republic of Iran said it was watching the naval exercise, which will be associated with battleships, aircraft carriers, minesweepers and submarines.

“The exercises are based on a hypothetical threat to mine the international strategic waterways of the Middle East, including the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, and the Persian Gulf,” the U.S. Central Command said in July.

“We are very sensitive about security in the highly strategic Persian Gulf and we are watching closely,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said.

Warships from more than 25 countries, including the U.S., Britain, France, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are taking part in the annual 12-day exercise (from September 16 to 27) to prepare for any pre-emptive or retaliatory action by Iran, according to British newspaper Daily Telegraph.

The report said the navies will practice tactics regarding how to breach an Iranian blockade of the strait and the force will also undertake counter-mining drills.

The head of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards warned of retaliation against the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. bases in the Middle East and Israel if his country was to be attacked. General Mohammad Ali Jafari said the Strait of Hormuz would be a legitimate target for Iran should it be attacked.

“This is a declared policy by Iran that if war occurs in the region and the Islamic republic is involved, it is natural that the Strait of Hormuz as well as the energy (market) will face difficulties,” Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted him as saying.


Source: Agencies	17-09-2012 - 16:03 Last updated 20-09-2012 - 15:38 \| 1773 View

Name		Register Nickname Users who already have nicknames can comment without risking their ‎ID’s being impersonated Users who already have nicknames can insert comment using their nickname
Email
Country
Title
Message	Number of allowed characters is 700 - 700 Character left
Confirmation Code

Disclaimer Al-Manar is not responsible for the content of the comments. All opinions expressed are those of the posters not Al-Manar’s or its staff. Al-Manar reserves the right to exclude comments that contain expressions falling beyond the bounds of decency

	Users who already have nicknames can insert comment using their nickname Insert comment Edit password
Nickname
Email
Country
Password
Password Confirmation
Confirmation Code

	Insert comment Users who already have nicknames can insert comment using their nickname
Email
Edit country
Old password
New password
Confirm new password

User Comments

Number of comments: 7

1 - America’s War
Alan \| USA	03:21	2012-09-18
The threat to global peace and stability does not lie with Iran, or with China for that matter or any other bogeyman the Pentagon cares to dream up. Historian William Blum last year wrote that, since 1945, the US has attempted to overthrow more than 50 governments, most of them democratically elected. It has attempted to suppress a populist or national movement in 20 countries. It has grossly interfered in democratic elections in at least 30 countries. It has dropped bombs on the people of more than 30 countries. And it has attempted to assassinate more than 50 foreign leaders.

2 - America’s War
alany11@msn.com \| USA	03:22	2012-09-18
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Iran is destabilising the world and its aggression must be stopped. No mention from Israel of the assassinations of nuclear scientists in Iran. No mention of cyber attacks on Iran, the funding of anti-government militias inside Iran or other destabilisation strategies waged against Tehran by the US, Mossad, the CIA or MI6.

3 - US Persian Commander Sworn to US Constitution
killfaggots888800 \| USA	03:23	2012-09-18
All the military has sworn allegiates to the US constitution. So why has the US government bypass California constution, 2 California elections, and the Defense of Marriage Act, and the states right to force faggot marriage on the state of California and the western US (federal 9th court of appeals district)???This US military is obligate to enforce the US constitution. Was it Iran that brought the towers down or the Saudias? The US commander better get his fleet out before it gets sunk. The gulf is a trap with ship missile on half the gulf and with persian air force still flying. 1st strike and it is all over. This is not going to be a Afgan or Iraqi cakewalk war.

4 - America War
Alan \| USA	03:24	2012-09-18
It’s not a case of who will save us from Iran, but who will save us from the type of terror and instability we have seen instigated by US or US-backed forces in Pakistan, Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq. Who will save us from militarism and imperialism? Who will save us from the economic terror brought to Greece or any other number of countries, including the US itself, by the corporate cartels and the financial institutions who silt away profits in tax havens while expecting ordinary people to bear the brunt of their criminality?

5 - America War
Alan \| USA	03:25	2012-09-18
With Washington already having done its level best to destabilise Iran, a huge build up of US troops has been taking place in the region for many months. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) may also be crying wolf over Iran’s intention to acquire a nuclear weapon, which is hardly surprising given that a US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks describes the Director General of the IAEA Yukiya Amano as “solidly in the US court” and “ready for prime time.”

6 - America War
Alan \| USA	03:26	2012-09-18
China’s ambassador to the UN has already warned Yukiya Amano not to create “unfounded” evidence to justify a military attack on Iran in the name of halting its nuclear programme. Having had its influence curtailed in Libya, a top Chinese government official has already warned that any threat to Pakistan would be taken as a direct threat to China, according to the JunshiJia website, which some months ago cited a report by China’s Central TV. The report also stated that as the US war in Afghanistan deepens and the threat of military action against Iran becomes stronger, the threat of confrontation with China increases.

7 - America War
Alan \| USA	03:27	2012-09-18
As the West contemplates another dose of murder and mayhem, surely the lies in the build up to the invasion of Iraq are too fresh in the mind for the Western public to be fooled once again. By now they should have seen through the ongoing US-led deception of perpetual war for perpetual peace. Ultimately, there’s no peace to be found in Armageddon. Let’s hope so because, in all our obscurity and isolation on this insignificant blue dot, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere. We must act to save us from ourselves.

What's New

Most Viewed

Last comments

Most commented