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4 January 2012 - 22:42

Iran's 10-day naval drill called Velayat 90 staged in a large area from the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Aden ended on Tuesday.

According to Khabar Online correspondent, the wargames which began on December 24 were coincident with the issue of the Strait of Hormuz closure as the United States moved an aircraft carrier out of the Persian Gulf. 
   
Following the naval drill, a Russian newspaper reported that the Islamic Republic of Iran is able to close the Strait of Hormuz, and making such decision would seriously endanger the oil exports of the countries in the region.
 
Following new economic sanctions including on Iran's Central Bank, the US is planning to impose an embargo on Iranian oil exports which nearly 80% of the country's revenue depends on. The Islamic Republic announced that it will close the strategic Hormuz Strait if it's not able to export crude.   
 
In another development Iran warned on Tuesday to take action if the US Navy moves an aircraft carrier The USS John C. Stennis again into the Gulf.
 
 The Defense Minister of the Zionist regime of Israeli Ehud Barak claimed the Iranian wargames and firing missiles were a sign of Iran's distress in the face of tightening Western sanctions.
 
Faced with the extensive Iranian naval maneuvers, the Pentagon also said it will not tolerate a closure of the strategic channel and it would keep sending carrier strike groups through the Gulf regardless.
 
The French Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the test-fire of new Iranian long-range missiles during the maneuvers and underlined that the strategic channel of oil transit must be open. It also pushed for more sanctions against Tehran.
 
Such hasty responses were made as Iran's naval drill was carried on to boost the readiness of the Islamic Republic's military forces.
 
During the maneuvers Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said the Islamic Republic has successfully test-fired various domestically-built missiles just near the strategic Strait of Hormuz including its first home-built medium-range anti-radar missile, Mehrab on Sunday, Press TV reported.
 
Mehrab was fired from the missile boat Gorz. The smart Qader (Capable) missile also managed to successfully strike and destroy its intended target ass well. With its range of 200 kilometers, the Qader missile has been produced in light of Iran's self-sufficiency, deterrence and military prowess, he added.
 
Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, the spokesman for the Navy's drills.
Mousavi further said that Iran's naval forces launched short-range Nasr (Victory) missiles at pre-determined targets in the concluding day of the Velayat 90 drills.
 
The Iranian commander added that the Nour (Light) surface-to-surface as well as PT 47 torpedo were also be fired during the naval maneuvers.
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News ID 181339