Iran begins war games in Gulf

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard boats attack a naval vessel during a three-day military drill in the Gulf yesterday.Photo: AFP

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard yesterday started large-scale war games in the Persian Gulf and the strategic Strait of Hormuz, state television reported.
Iran has been holding military manoeuvres in the gulf and the Strait of Hormuz annually since 2006 to show off its military capabilities. The last four editions of the games were held in the summer, but there has been no official explanation why they were brought forward this year.
The war games have routinely heightened tension in the region, but they have more recently taken added significance as the standoff between the West and Tehran over Iran's nuclear program grows deeper.