Iran planning naval wargames

Senior Iranian Army officials announced on Saturday that the country's naval forces would soon stage massive wargames in international waters in the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean.Iranian Army's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told reporters in a weekly press conference here in Tehran Saturday morning that the wargames are dubbed "Velayat 90". "The huge wargames of the Army's naval force called 'Velayat 90' will be held in an area from the Sea of Oman to the Indian Ocean," Sayyari said during a press conference held on the occasion of the Navy Day. He said the wargames will be conducted in the near future, adding that the Navy plans to display its latest military achievements and capabilities in defending the country during the drills. Iran stages several air, land and sea wargames each year to test its newly produced weapons and equipments. In the last naval drills staged by the Iranian Army, in May 2010 a six-staged naval maneuver was held, codenamed Vellayat 89, in the Strait of Hormuz and Northern Indian Ocean. Spokesman of the military drills Admiral Qassem Rostamabadi announced at the time that the Iranian Navy deployed destroyers, missile-launchers, heavy and light submarines and flight units in specified areas and provided security of shipping lines during the drills. The second phase of the wargames pertained to confrontation against chemical attacks of the enemy through using locally-made equipment, Admiral Rostamabadi added. Also home-made systems were used to successfully confront enemy's divers and guerillas who penetrated into Iranian coasts, the spokesman stated.