Iran warns US warship to leave naval drill area

The final stage of the massive drills will be held in an area of three million square kilometers east of the Strait of Hormuz, Sea of Oman and northern part of the Indian Ocean, Iran’s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said Tuesday.

He says that he believes the Americans had approached the area to “learn our tactics”.

Some Navy commanders had told Tasnim that the American warship and aircraft began to make “provocative” moves after approaching the war game zone, but had to go away from the area after the Iranian military forces issued a decisive warning.

The incident comes a little more than two weeks after the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) detained 10 US sailors who had strayed into Iranian waters.

The U.S. Navy described the incident as a routine announcement by Iran regarding its training exercises. “We do not consider such announcements to be ‘orders'”.

Iran conducts similar exercises annually and the USA does not see this year’s as a change in Iranian behavior, Stephens added.

“Our forces similarly announce closure areas for our training events”. Most of those encounters are conducted “in a safe and professional manner, recent events notwithstanding”, he said.

He added that various types of submarines, destroyers, missile launchers, auxiliary cruisers, and marine brigades, would take part in the maneuvers.

“The maneuver aims to show Iranian forces’ strength both in ensuring security on the seas and in defending the country’s sea borders in Hormuz Strait, Sea of Oman and north of the Indian Ocean”, Adm. Sayyari was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.