"Iran may put ships near US Fifth Fleet; Will conduct drill at strategic strait" Associated Press, December 23, 2011
TEHRAN - Iran’s navy plans to hold a 10-day drill in international waters beyond the strategic Strait of Hormuz, an exercise that could bring Iranian ships near US Navy vessels.
The strait is the passageway for about a third of the world’s oil tanker traffic. Beyond it lie vast bodies of water, including the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The US Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet is active in the area, as are warships of several other countries that patrol for pirates there.
Iran faces mounting criticism of its nuclear program, which the West fears is designed to produce weapons. Iranian hard-liners have come out with occasional threats that Tehran would seal off the key waterway if the United States or Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Who could blame them one bit?
Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told Iranian state TV that the maneuvers will be held in a 1,250-mile stretch of sea off the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. Iran regularly holds war games and has also been active in fighting piracy.
Then that is something we can agree on, right?
Sayyari denied an Iranian media report that the drill would close the Strait of Hormuz.
Who could blame them one bit?
Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told Iranian state TV that the maneuvers will be held in a 1,250-mile stretch of sea off the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. Iran regularly holds war games and has also been active in fighting piracy.
Then that is something we can agree on, right?
Sayyari denied an Iranian media report that the drill would close the Strait of Hormuz.
He stressed that Iran has the capability to close the strait but “any decision on this will have to come from’’ Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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"Advanced surface-to-air missile tested, Iran says" January 2, 2012
TEHRAN—Iran’s navy said Sunday it test-fired an advanced surface-to-air missile during a drill in international waters near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the passageway for one-sixth of the world’s oil supply....
A leading Iranian lawmaker said the sea maneuvers serve as practice for closing the Strait of Hormuz if the West blocks Iran’s oil sales.
I was told above it was if attacked; now I'm told if more sanctions are applied.
After top Iranian officials made the same threat a week ago, military commanders emphasized that Iran has no intention of blocking the waterway now.
The exercise covers a 2,000-kilometre stretch of water beyond the Strait of Hormuz, including parts of the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.
The drill, which could bring Iranian ships into proximity with U.S. Navy vessels that operate in the same area, is Iran’s latest show of strength....
Yeah, right, they are the provocative one.
The 10-day exercise drew significant attention after the Iranian warnings about closing the strait. Iranian military officials later appeared to back away from that threat.
A spokesman for the exercise, Rear Adm. Mahmoud Mousavi, made a similar conciliatory comment on Sunday. “We won’t disrupt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. We are not after this,” the semi-official ISNA news agency quoted him as saying.
Prominent lawmaker Ismail Kowsari offered a different view. He said the war games are part of Iran’s preparations to close the vital waterway if sanctions are imposed....
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"Iran navy tests cruise missile; Firing is latest show of force" by Nasser Karimi | Associated Press, January 03, 2012
TEHRAN - The 10-day naval maneuvers, which are scheduled to end today, were Iran’s latest show of strength....
Defense Minister Ehud Barak of Israel said the Iranian exercise was a show of strength intended “to deter the world from continuing sanctions against it.’’ Barak said at a party meeting that he doubts Iran would close the strait because that would only bring harsher international sanctions.
Israel considers Iran a threat because of its nuclear and long-range missile program. Iran is also a major backer of Hamas and Hezbollah militants who are fighting Israel....
President Obama has signed a bill that applies penalties against Iran’s central bank in an effort to hamper Tehran’s ability to fund its nuclear enrichment program, although the administration is looking to soften the impact of those penalties because of concerns they could lead to a spike in global oil prices or cause economic hardship on US allies that import petroleum from Iran....
See: E.U. Equivocates on Iranian Oil Embargo
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Related: Iran warns United States carrier not to return to gulf
