{"id":17028,"date":"2023-08-03T10:54:03","date_gmt":"2023-08-03T07:54:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=17028"},"modified":"2023-08-04T14:15:08","modified_gmt":"2023-08-04T11:15:08","slug":"iran-starts-naval-drills-on-disputed-islands-claimed-by-uae","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/iran-starts-naval-drills-on-disputed-islands-claimed-by-uae\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran starts naval drills on disputed islands claimed by UAE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) started its naval and military drills on Abu Musa Island and Tunb Islands on August 2, 2023, raising the tension in the region. The islands are part of a disputed territory between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The drills are mainly focused off the coast of Abu Musa as well as the Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb islands in the Gulf region. Iran holds control of a large part of the disputed islands and it has recently increased its military activities in the region. Iranian officials did not provide a specific reason for the recent surprise military exercises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We always try for security and tranquility; it is our way,” the Chief of Iran\u2019s IRGC General Hossein Salami said during his televised address during the drills. “Our nation is vigilant, and it gives harsh responses to all threats, complicated seditions, and secret scenarios and hostilities,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IRGC deployed an array of aircraft, vessels, missiles, and vehicles to showcase its readiness to mobilize on the islands. During the exercise, IRGC Navy for the first time unveiled a new vessel armed with missiles with a range of 600 kilometers, while Fath ballistic missiles with a range of 120 kilometers and Ghadir cruise missiles with a range of more than 300 kilometers are also installed on the islands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sitting at an important strategic location in the Strait of Hormoz, the disputed islands play a significant role in providing control over the regional trade routes. After the British forces withdrew from the UAE in 1971, Iran took control of some of the island using its naval fleet. The UAE has since maintained that the islands belong to them, while other Arab countries have backed UAE\u2019s claims. Iran, however, rejects UAE\u2019s and other Arab countries\u2019 claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
This photo released on August 2, 2023, by Sepahnews of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, shows the Guard\u2019s equipment in a drill on Abu Musa Island, in the Persian Gulf. Iran\u2019s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched a surprise military drill on disputed islands in the Persian Gulf. (Image Credit: Sepahnews\/via AP)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A joint statement released by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in December last year, challenged Iran\u2019s rights to the disputed islands. The joint statement was also supported by Russia. Iran summoned a Russian envoy to Tehran to protest Moscow\u2019s support of the joint statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The timing of the military exercises coincides with the rising political tensions in the region due to the Durra gas field, an offshore natural gas field located in the neutral zone between Kuwait, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. The issue has escalated recently after Saudi Arabia and Kuwait signed an agreement to develop Durra. Iran called the deal \u201cillegal\u201d and rejected the cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait that excludes Tehran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While speaking on the issue earlier this week, Iranian Oil Minister Jawad Owji said that Iran will not cede its rights to the Durra gas field, also known as the Arash in Iran. \u201cWe will not give up one iota of Iran\u2019s right to make use of the Arash field,\u201d said Owji, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Iranian Revolutionary Guard launched military drills on the disputed Abu Musa Island in the Persian Gulf. (Image Credit: Sepahnews via AP)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The U.S., which also has a naval presence in the region, responded to Iran\u2019s recent military drills by saying that it is an attempt to \u201cthreaten the free flow of commerce in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters\u201d through which about one-fifth of the world\u2019s oil passes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) started its naval and military drills on Abu Musa Island and Tunb Islands on August 2, 2023, raising the tension in the region. The islands are part of a disputed territory between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17031,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[44,1],"tags":[443,325,541,203,30,184,356,5,90,7,141],"class_list":["post-17028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east","category-news","tag-drills","tag-exercise","tag-gcc","tag-gulf","tag-iran","tag-maritime","tag-middle-east","tag-military","tag-navy","tag-u-s","tag-uae"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IRGC-military-drills.jpg?fit=690%2C370&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7jJWb-4qE","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17028"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17068,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17028\/revisions\/17068"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}