Iran's navy issued dozens of warnings toforeign planes and warships that approached its forces during a five-day seamaneuver near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a semi-official news agencyreported Tuesday.
Mehr quoted Adm. Amir Rastgari, spokesman for the exercise,as saying that naval and air defense forces on 30 occasions warned offreconnaissance planes, drones and warships belonging to "extraregionalforces" that approached the drill, using a term that the Islamic Republiccommonly employs to refer to the militaries of the U.S. and its allies.
The five-day naval drill, dubbed Velayat-91, is Iran's latestshow of strength in the face of mounting pressures over its disputed nuclearprogram. The West suspects it may be aimed at producing nuclear weapons, acharge Iran denies.
Iran has threatened to close the strait over Westernsanctions but has not repeated the threats lately. The strait is the passagewayfor one-fifth of the world's oil supply.
Rastgari said the aircraft and warships heeded the warningsand stayed away.
"Various reconnaissance aircraft that sought topenetrate into the drill area were given warnings by the navy and theKhatam-ol-Anbia (air defense force) ... Subsequently, the intelligence planesand drones distanced from the area after receiving the warnings," Rastgarisaid.
Iran has used the maneuvers to highlight recently-developedweapons systems.
State TV said "Ghader," or "Capable," asea-launched anti-ship missile with a range of 200 kilometers (120 miles), wasamong the weapons used in the final day of navy drills Tuesday.
Ghader missile was delivered in late 2011 to the Iranian militaryand the powerful Revolutionary Guard's naval division, which is assigned toprotect Iran's sea borders. Iranian officials say the missile can skim the seato avoid detection and can sink large warships.
TV said the navy also used another anti-ship missile, dubbedNoor, or Light, during the drill. It showed several missiles being fired andhitting their targets at sea. Reports on the maneuvers say Iran also used itselectronic warfare systems.
Iran's growing arsenal includes short- and medium-range ballisticmissiles that are capable of hitting targets in the region such as Israel andU.S. military bases in the Gulf.
Iran began a military self-sufficiency program in 1992,under which it produces a large range of weapons, including tanks, missiles,jet fighters, unmanned drone aircraft and torpedoes.
The maneuvers cover nearly 1 million sq. kilometers (400,000sq. miles) from the Strait of Hormuz to the northern part of the Indian Ocean,including the Gulf of Oman.