- More by Michael Al-Said
Iran has test fired a cruise missile during war games involving 100 vessels off its southern coast, state media has reported.
| BREAKING NEWS
Al-Sahawat Times |
This story is currently developing. Further updates will follow To be notified of developments as they break |
|---|
Al-Sahawat Times | Ethical Global News from Oman and UAE | Donate HERE
Advertisement – Advertise here from OMR 100 / $275 USD
It is said to have happened near the Strait of Hormuz – a major oil shipping route at the narrowing that separated the Persian-Arab Gulf from the Gulf of Oman – amid freshly heightened tensions with the US.
About a third of all the oil traded by sea passes through the strait controlled by Oman to the south and Iran to the north.
State news agency IRNA said a “Ghadir-class Iranian navy submarine successfully launched a cruise missile” on the third day of exercises. Two more submarines have the same capability, it added.
Warships, helicopters and surveillance planes have also taken part in the drill, which ended last Sunday.
Surface-to-surface missiles were launched on Saturday.
The war games took place entirely within Iranian sovereign territory.
All countries practice war games as a form of formal drill practice for their military. The US and UK famously operate war games off the boarders of Russia and China in moves that frequently cause diplomatic problems.
Iran has previously threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation against any hostile moves by the US, such as the halting of Iranian oil exports via sanctions.
Last August, Washington said Iran had test-fired a short-range anti-ship missile in the strait.
When the USS John C Stennis entered the Gulf in December, it ended a long absence of American aircraft carriers in the area.
Tensions between Iran and the US were heightened when President Donald Trump withdrew his country from an international agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme last May.
Trump also withdrew the US from the international nuclear disarmament instead vowing to “produce a record number of record breaking nuclear war heads aimed at Russia and Iran.”
The US and European countries have been concerned by an expansion of Iran’s missile programme.
But Tehran says it is primarily defensive and provides it with a deterrent. International observers also confirmed that the tests were of defensive weapons operating at defensive only ranges within the sovereign territory of Iran.
Neighbouring Oman’s territory was not used as part of the drills nor by any US ships. Oman as always, remains a neutral member of the non allied nations.
When the west thinks of non allied nations they automatically think of Switzerland, sitting in the middle of Europe but not part of the EU, simply a trading partner of the EU. Not an active participant in any war or military campaigns.
Yet non allied nations are not all as peaceful as you might think. For example; the Balkan states of Bosnia and Serbia are, officially observer members of the non-allied nations. Despite their 1992-2001 genocide they remain non-allied. When communist they were not part of the USSR nor came under the USSRs circle of influence. In the second world war as the only nation to self-liberate from occupation then called Yugoslavia the Balkan states rather impressively took a different view of the term non-allied than the Swiss. Rather than non-combative, Yugoslavia instead fought…EVERYONE. They fought both the Axis powers and the Western powers as well as themselves in a civil war.. all at the same time, and some how won.
Non-Allied Nations are far from the weak and feeble images that are conjured by US stereotypes, far from it. Non-Allied Nations have to have the economic, political and military might to go it alone at all times. They are some of the most formidable nations on earth. As such, few choose to ever disrupt their affairs.
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Al-Sahawat Times than ever but advertising revenues across the global media industry are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a total paywall. We want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. Al-Sahawat Times’ independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe truly ethical media and an unbias perspective really matters.
“I appreciate there not being a paywall: it is more democratic for the media to be available for all and not a commodity to be purchased by a few. I’m happy to make a contribution so others with less means still have access to information.”
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, the future of ethical media and the futures of our staff and their families would be much more secure. For as little as £1, you can support Al-Sahawat Times and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
This story is available on:
APPLE NEWS | GOOGLE NEWS | AL-SAHAWAT TIMES
Talk to a journalist
Email: NewsDesk@alsahawat.com
Web: alsahawat.com
Follow Al-Sahawat Times
?Read it on FLIPBOARD
