TEHRAN — Iranian Navy Commander Shahram Irani has said that the purpose of the Zulfiqar-1400 exercise was to create more coordination among different units of the Army, noting now Iran “has a lot to say on battlefield”.

In the annual military exercises, which started on Sunday, naval, air force, air defense, and ground force units were involved. The massive military exercise stretched from the eastern sector of the strategic Strait of Hormuz to the northern tip of the Indian Ocean and parts of the Red Sea.

Irani added the exercise was also intended to transfer knowledge and experience to the young servicemen.

Irani said display of the capability of the armed forces, particularly the Navy, in ensuring the security of Iran’s interests and the acquaintance of the young personnel with the real battlefield scenes as other objectives of the exercise.

Speaking on the sidelines of the exercise, the admiral stated that Iran has a message to all friendly countries that “today the Islamic Republic of Iran has a lot to say on battlefield and operations.”

He added, “We give the message to everyone that whenever they speak with respect with Iranians, the Iranians will certainly treat them with respect, and if it is not, they will certainly face a decisive response.”

The senior military figure highlighted that marine and commando units of the Iranian Army and its Navy carried out airborne, heliborne, and amphibious exercises, launched surprise attacks, and stroke predetermined mock enemy targets.

Mahmoud Mousavi, spokesman for the Zolfaqar drills,  said marine and commando units of the Army and its Navy carried out airborne, heliborne, and amphibious exercises, launched surprise attacks, and stroke predetermined mock enemy targets.

On Monday, the Navy’s submarines blew up various naval targets with domestically produced torpedoes in the Sea of Oman.

The submarines, called “Tareq” and “Qadir”, launched a domestically-manufactured torpedo named “Valfajr” to hit the naval targets.

Mousavi said the Tareq submarine also laid DM-1 mines during the exercise, Tasnim reported.

In another operation, the offshore naval units could jam the radars of the hypothetical enemy stationed on the coast by flying “Omid”, an anti-radiation drone used for electronic warfare, the news agency said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he said, "The forces in the Navy, by escorting ships and tankers,… have made Iran’s main trade routes completely safe." 

Iranian naval fleets have been sent to missions to counter-terrorism and piracy and escort merchant ships and tankers.

Earlier this month, the Iranian naval forces managed to thwart a pirate attack on one of the country’s oil tankers en route to the Gulf of Aden before entering Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to Press TV.

The Iranian Navy said four boats carrying between 4 to 6 pirates sought to launch an attack on the Iranian tanker earlier in the morning but they were forced to escape following a timely action by the Navy’s escort teams, which shot warning shots to repel the pirates.

In line with international efforts against piracy, the Iranian Navy has been conducting patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, safeguarding merchant containers and oil tankers owned or leased by Iran or other countries.

Iran’s Navy has managed to foil several attacks on both Iranian and foreign tankers during its missions in international waters.