Iranian and Omani naval forces announced that they are slated to conduct joint naval wargames in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, Fars News Agency (FNA) reported.
The announcement was made after a meeting between Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Rear Admiral Saleh Esfahani and senior Omani Army Commander Brigadier General Hamd bin Rashid bin Saeed al-Balushi in Tehran on Saturday.
Brigadier General al-Balushi is heading a 12-member Omani military delegation on a four-day visit to Iran.
The 12th Iran-Oman Military Friendship Group meeting kicked off in Tehran today (Saturday) and will conclude work by holding joint naval drills by the two countries on Wednesday.
Iran and Oman have had vast cooperation in the military field and the two countries have already held several joint naval drills.
In September 2013, Iran and Oman signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost their mutual cooperation in the defense sector.
The MoU was signed by Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan and Omani Minister Responsible for Defense Affairs Badr Bin Saud Bin Harib al-Busaidi in Tehran.
Meanwhile, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced that Iran’s Naval Forces will hold massive wargames in the Eastern waters of the Strait of Hormuz on 22 and 23 December 2015.
According to Sayyari, the wargames will be held to exercise rescue operations to assist the vessels sailing in the region.
“The massive Velayat (94) drills will be staged in Northern Indian Ocean to the 10 degrees latitude,” Sayyari told reporters in Tehran.
He explained that the advanced equipment possessed by Iran makes it possible for the country to be in control in the Northern Indian Ocean to the 10 degrees latitude.
