The Iranian Navy has warned a US warship accompanied by a patrol aircraft to not stray into the waters of Strait of Hormuz, where the Islamic Republic was conducting ‘Velayat 94’ military drills.
It was also Iran’s site of testing submarines, destroyers and missile launchers, as reported by Reuters.
Admiral Habibollah Sayyari was quoted in an interview with Fars News Agency as saying: "As we anticipated that the Americans may approach the drill zone to learn about our tactics, we warned them once by maritime patrol aircraft and again by the Alborz destroyer."
Sayyari told Tasnim news agency that the US was allegedly collecting information in the Sea of Oman, an area at the vicinity of the strait, which happens to be an important oil and gas shipping route.
He further stated that in warning the US ships to stay away from Iranian water, the nation had conformed to the international convention guidelines which empowers a country to immune an area from any foreign vessel trespassing before commencing a military drill.
Sayyari was quoted by state news agency IRNA as saying: "The manoeuvre aims to show Iranian forces’ strength both in ensuring security on the seas, and in defending the country’s sea borders in Hormuz Strait, Sea of Oman and north of the Indian Ocean."
The incident followed the naval forces of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s capturing and detaining ten US marine soldiers in Iran territorial waters earlier this month.
The US authority claimed a mechanical glitch was responsible for the US crew’s veering off from their planned route.
The soldiers were released after 15 hours and were escorted to a small port facility on Farsi Island.
Critics opined that the recent lifting of sanctions by the US and EU on Iran, after the nation had adhered to restrictions imposed on its nuclear exercise, has empowered the nation to take bold steps.
