Iran starts large-scale military drills in Strait of Hormuz

22.04.2010 Iran's Revolutionary Guards launched on Thursday a three-day military exercise in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, the Fars news agency reported.

Brigadier General Hossein Salami, deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards, said on Wednesday ground, air, and naval units would take part in the drill designed to "ensure security in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman".

Tests will be held with an array of indigenous missiles and other weapons.

Iranian military officials have repeatedly warned that if Tehran is attacked, it will hit back by blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

Nearly 40% of the world's seaborne oil shipments pass through this strategically important waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.