The Iranian Navy has begun a new six-stage exercise, codenamed Vellayat 89, in the Strait of Hormuz and the northern Indian Ocean.

Military drills spokesman Admiral Qasem Rostamabadi said the navy had deployed destroyers, missile launchers, heavy and light submarines, and flight units in predetermined areas and provided security of shipping lines, according to the Fars News Agency.

“Vellayat 89 also included enemy chemical attacks by using locally made equipment,” he said.

The military exercise also used home-made systems to defeat enemy divers and guerillas that had penetrated Iranian coasts, according to the admiral.

The navy is carrying out the Vellayat 89 exercise in a 250,000km² area from the Strait of Hormuz to the coasts of Pakistan and India.