Naval Exercise in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's Defensive Capabilities

On Sunday, the final phase of the Velayat 95 naval exercise of the Islamic Republic's Navy began in the general area of southern Iran, from the Strait of Hormuz to the Sea of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean. Habibollah Sayyari, the commander of the Islamic Republic's Navy, stated on the evening program 'Negah' on Iran's Channel One that the Velayat 95 exercise poses no threat to any country and is held in Iran's relevant area. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is not participating in this exercise. The Strait of Hormuz, which is part of the declared area of this exercise, is one of the very sensitive points in the Persian Gulf, through which about one-third of the world's oil production passes. On Monday, two U.S. defense officials told Reuters that a U.S. Navy destroyer had fired warning shots at Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessels in the Strait of Hormuz three times on Sunday. Donald Trump, the U.S. President, also stated in January that any Iranian vessel that interferes with the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf should be sunk. Hussein Aryan, a military analyst residing in Britain, says that Iran's naval capabilities are not as strong as claimed, adding, 'The Iranian Navy has sufficient capabilities in military industries and in building surface units and small submarines, and sometimes receives help from abroad, but what is claimed and the mission defined for the Navy by Ayatollah Khamenei, which is to be a strategic navy or a blue-water navy, is far from reality.' The Associated Press reports that the U.S. Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, has not responded to whether it will closely monitor this exercise. In this context, the U.S. State Department spokesperson reacted to Iran's warning regarding Saudi Arabia's maneuvers, stating that the Saudi naval exercise in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Sea of Oman has begun. After 15 years, an Italian ship docked on the shores of Iran, and two Russian warships are 'on an unofficial mission' docking in Anzali. The IRGC has announced a 'ban on passage' for U.S. ships and is training members of the 'Resistance Axis.'