Largest Naval Exercise in Persian Gulf and Beyond

A total of 6.500 personnel and 38 warships from 44 navies are taking part in a U.S.-led naval exercise in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea. The focus of the exercise, which started on Sunday and will run through 13 November, is maritime security operations and mine countermeasures in critical choke points of the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb and Suez Canal.

“The tremendous number of nations participating in this exercise sends a clear signal that threats to global commerce will not be tolerated, said Vice Admiral John Miller, the commander of U.S. 5th Fleet, the naval component of U.S. CENTCOM.

Meanwhile, IRGC Navy commander, Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, said the U.S. Navy should withdraw from the Persian Gulf. The American fleet is based in Bahrain and has been operating in the Gulf for decades.

“Destroying and drowning American warships, (including) aircraft carrier, have been and will remain on our program,” Fadavi said.

File photo: U.S. Navy mine countermeasure ships, from right to left, USS Dextrous, USS Sentry, DSS Devastator and USS Pioneer; the Persian Gulf, August 2012. (U.S. Navy/AP)

U.S. Navy Leads Massive Anti-Mine Exercises in Persian Gulf

U.S. and 40 other allied navies gathered in Bahrain today to begin massive anti-mine exercises in the Persian Gulf. The International Mine Countermeasure Exercise (IMCMEX) will run through 30 May. The drills appear to be tailored to keep the shipping lanes at the Strait of Hormuz open in case of any future hostilities involving Iran.

A U.S. Navy statement released today said the IMCMEX will begin with onshore training and then move to the Gulf for maneuvers including mine-sweeping and search-and-seizure operations.

“We are very pleased to see that more than 40 nations have joined us here to take part in this opportunity to enhance international naval capability to preserve freedom of navigation in international waterways,” said Vice Admiral John W. Miller, commander of US Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. Fifth Fleet. “If 41 nations are willing to come here and practice MCM, just imagine how effective the global mine response would be if someone actually put mines in the water.” (Xinhua, 6 May)

More than 100 divers, 35 ships and 18 unmanned submarines will take part in the drills.

File photo: IMCMEX, September 2012 

Iran Navy to Use New Mine Sweeping System

Reaction to Mine Countermeasure Exercise by U.S. and 30 Allied Navies

Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said today the navy will start operating a “new mine sweeping system” in the Persian Gulf in coming days. The announcement coincides with a massive International Mine Countermeasure Exercise (IMCMEX) by the U.S. and more than 30 allied naval forces that will take place in the region on 6-30 May.

Adm. Sayyari criticized the U.S. for holding IMCMEX, calling it an “Iranophobia” plot. (Fars News Agency, 4 May)

“As Americans have declared, they plan to carry out joint mine sweeping drills with around 30 world countries, but these measures are all line with (their) Iranophobia plots,” Adm. Sayyari said.

”Yet, he said Iran will not sit silent when the enemy troops embark on staging maneuvers in the region. This week we will bring into operation a mine sweeping system that we are now working on so that if the trans-regional enemies take a (hostile) move in this region, we could be able to sweep the seabed,” he added.

Photo credit: Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari (Fars News Agency)

U.S. and Allies to Conduct Anti-Mine Drills in Persian Gulf

The U.S. military announced today an anti-mine exercise in “the Middle East's international waterways” in May with more than 20 nations participating.

“This year's effort will reaffirm the ongoing, global cooperation that this mission enjoys with the international community's strong support for free trade,” General James Mattie, commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), said in a statement. (Reuters, 4 February)

The drill will be a follow-up to the IMCMEX 12 exercise held last September, by a broad coalition of states to counter any attempt Iran might make to disrupt Gulf shipping in response to an Israeli or U.S. strike on its nuclear facilities, Reuters reported.

File photo: JS Uraga, USS Pioneer and USS Ardent in IMCMEX 12 anti-mine drills, 20 September 2012 (Wikipedia)

IRGC Holds Naval Drill Near Strait of Hormuz

Close to U.S.-led International Mines Countermeasure Exercise

IRGC Naval Commander Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said on Monday that Iran has test-fired four missiles designed to hit warships during a drill near the Strait of Hormuz. Adm. Fadavi added that the missiles were fired simultaneously at a warship-sized target and sank it within 50 seconds.

"We have missile systems that cover all the Persian Gulf coasts and the American bases (in the region)," Admiral Fadavi said. (Fars News Agency)

The IRGC missile drill took place simultaneously and close to U.S.-led International Mines Countermeasure Exercise (IMCMEX) in the Persian Gulf that began on Sunday 16 September and runs through 27 September.

On 18 September, Iran had held a minelaying exercise, but that drill was conducted at the Caspian Sea across the country from the Persian Gulf.