Iran, Oman to Hold Joint Naval Drill
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Navy commander announced on Tuesday that a joint naval drill will be held with Oman in nearly four months.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with head of Oman’s National Defense College, held in Tehran, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said Iran and Oman are slated to hold a joint naval exercise in April or May, 2015.
The Iranian commander also highlighted the importance of naval presence in the seas for the two countries, and stressed that sustainable security in the region is a prerequisite for the fulfillment of interests of the neighboring states.
Sayyari further pointed to Iran and Oman's dominance over the strategic Strait of Hormuz and the Indian Ocean, saying the two Muslim countries can cooperate to maintain permanent security in the region.
The world should know that “regional countries including the Islamic Republic of Iran and Oman are capable of ensuring security in the region and thus, there is no need for the presence of foreign countries in the region,” he emphasized.
“The naval forces of the two countries have managed to ensure the security of trade routes in the region,” Sayyari said, reiterating that Tehran and Muscat have close cooperation in maritime rescue missions in east of Hormuz Strait and north of the Sea of Oman.
Earlier, Sayyari had said that the country’s naval forces have gained such a high level of power that can stage joint exercises with the other countries.
Back in September, military vessels from the Islamic Republic of Iran and China held a joint naval exercise in the Persian Gulf.
In another sign of Iran’s openness to military cooperation with the neighbors, a Russian naval fleet berthed at the Iranian northern port city of Anzali in October.