Tehran [Iran], July 25: The Iranian Air Force has launched a major exercise after the United States sent additional warships and forces to the Gulf region.
More than 90 aircraft and combat drones have been deployed in the Gulf and other parts of Iran since Sunday as part of the manoeuvres, Iranian state media reported on Monday.
Army Commander-in-Chief Abdolrahim Mousavi said the exercise would "protect the independence, territorial integrity and sacred ideals of the Islamic Revolution," and promised the air force would "resolutely defend the interests of the great Iranian nation."
Among other things, the air force rehearsed attacks with so-called kamikaze drones and fighter jets.
The US announced last week that it would send military reinforcements to the Gulf, which it said would secure freedom of navigation in the region. The US accuses the Iranian Navy of obstructing civilian shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and the neighbouring Gulf of Oman.
The US move comes after Iran earlier in July tried to seize two oil tankers, the Marshall Islands-flagged TRF Moss and the Bahamian-flagged Richmond Voyager, near the strait last week, opening fire on one of them.
The US Navy said in both instances the Iranian naval vessels backed off when the USS McFaul, a guided-missile destroyer, arrived on the scene.
There have been repeated incidents with oil tankers in the area in the past. In particular, the Strait of Hormuz, an approximately 55km-wide strait between Iran and Oman, is considered one of the most important shipping routes for global oil exports.
The US Navy says Iran has seized at least five commercial vessels in the last two years and harassed more than a dozen others. Many of the confrontations have happened in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
The West accuses Iran of using seized commercial vessels as bargaining chips. Iran denies the charge, saying it seized the vessels after they collided with local vessels and polluted the waterway.
Tensions have steadily risen since the administration of former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from Iran's 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers and restored crippling sanctions. Iran has responded by ramping up its nuclear activities - which it says are purely peaceful - and provided drones to Russia for its war against Ukraine.
Source: Qatar Tribune