Iran claims military drill not message

Annual exercise sees Iran rattle sabres.

Iran claims U.S. military drill “not a message”

By Umid Niayesh – Trend:

The US and its allies held an International Mine Countermeasures Exercise (IMCMEX) which was concluded in Bahrain Nov. 13, after nearly three weeks of seminars and training maneuvers in a wide array of maritime operations designed to promote international interoperability, protect global commerce and ensure secure sea lanes.

The area of this year’s U.S.-led international drill which was the largest in the three years encompassed about 5.8 million square kilometers of water and included the Gulf, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean .

The drill involved 6,500 service members along with 700 civilian mariners from over 40 countries. Thirty-eight naval ships as well as 32 civilian merchant vessels took part in the drill.

While the Islamic Republic is the only country in the region, which has repeatedly announced the U.S. navy as target, some experts believe that the IMCMEX contains a message to Iran.

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Source: en.trend.az