IRGC stages naval drills to reinvigorate Iranian islands' defensive structure

Different combat units of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps staged four days of naval exercises in the Persian Gulf waters to display and assess Iran's power in defending the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb islands. Different IRGC combat units displayed their capabilities and assessed their efficiency and potentials during the four-day-long maneuvers which were held under the title of 'Strong Defense'. During the drills, the IRGC forces employed defense and air defense tactics and multi-layer defense, made assessments about the mobility of their vessels, including surface and subsurface units, practiced and tested different electronic war drills and assessed the different capabilities of the military tools, equipment and weapons newly supplied to the naval combat force. Assessment results will be used for strengthening the defensive structure of the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb islands. Last year, a senior IRGC commander underlined the strategic importance of Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf, and added that the IRGC has deployed forces and equipment in these islands to defend them. "Various types of offensive and defensive systems, including brigades of IRGC marines, have been deployed in the Iranian islands, specially in Abu Musa, the Lesser Tunb and the Greater Tunb," Commander of IRGC Naval Forces Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said in April, 2012. "Owing to the position of these islands, both in terms of defense and offense, the IRGC navy will allow no enemy to step onto these islands and even enter their territorial waters," Fadavi stated, adding, "In case of any hostile move, aggressors will face a strong response." He further reiterated Iran's sovereignty over the three islands. The UAE has recently raised some unfounded claims on three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf. International documents clearly show that the three islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa which were historically owned by Iran, temporarily fell to British control in 1903. The islands were returned to Iran based on an agreement in 1971 before the UAE was born. Iran has repeatedly declared that its ownership of the three islands is unquestionable. Under international law, no state can defy any agreement, which came into being before its establishment. Yet, the UAE continues to make territorial claims against the Islamic Republic despite historical evidence and international regulations.