Iran to stage war games in Strait of Hormuz

TEHRAN,Dec.18(MNA)– Naval forces of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps will hold war games in the Strait of Hormuz by the end of the current Iranian calendar year, which ends on March 21, 2013, the commander of the IRGC Naval Force announced on Monday. Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi also said, “The Americans are seeking to maintain their military supremacy in the world through military (presence) in the Persian Gulf. And if the Americans’ actions follow a trend that intensifies insecurity, naturally, they will also be in danger, and everybody should be aware that insecurity in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz poses a threat to the world.” In addition he said, “The Americans have no information about the capabilities of the IRGC Naval Force.” IRGC forces practiced their ability to block the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil shipping waterway, during a naval exercise which was conducted in January in the Persian Gulf. Iranian military officials have said that the country’s armed forces may consider blocking the strategic waterway if Iran is faced with any military threats. Commenting on a U.S. ScanEagle drone which has recently been captured by Iranian naval forces, Fadavi said, “It was the third ScanEagle that we had captured. We had elicited all the information from the previous ones, and its production line had been launched. And it is a long time that it is used by our country’s armed forces.” The ScanEagle drone holds the record of the longest flight time for an unmanned aerial vehicle and uses the highest technology, he said. The IRGC announced on December 4 that IRGC naval forces had captured a U.S. ScanEagle drone that had violated Iranian airspace. The drone was captured by air defense units of the IRGC Naval Force when it entered Iranian airspace in the Persian Gulf after it had circulated for a few days in the area. Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, had previously said, “U.S. drones of this model (ScanEagle) and another model, named the Shadow, which have crashed due to malfunctions or have been brought down by our air defense units, have been in our possession… And today, a large number of this model of aircraft is being manufactured domestically, and its capture does not add anything new to us.”