Middle East News
Iran holds military manoeuvre near Afghan border
Jan 7, 2012, 15:29 GMT
Tehran - Iran on Saturday started a manoeuvre of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) ground forces near its south-eastern border with Afghanistan, the ISNA news agency reported.
The report quoted IRGC ground forces commander General Pakpour as saying that the exercises, named 'Unity of Martyrs,' started in the area of Khavaf near the Afghan border and would have its main phase on Monday.
The commander said the wargames were aimed at maintaining the ground forces' alertness and strengthening border security.
The IRGC navy plans to hold another naval manoeuvre in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz in February. The navy just ended an earlier exercise in the Gulf.
The military drill in the Gulf raised tensions with the United States, especially after Iran warned to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital international oil shipping route through which 35 per cent of global export passes, if oil sanctions were imposed against the Islamic state.
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