Iran's Navy To Hold Drill In International Waters

An Iranian boat fires a missile as it takes part in a naval war game in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian Navy will hold a 10-day drill in international waters beyond the Strait of Hormuz.

Navy commander Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told state television on December 21 that the drill, dubbed Velayat-90, will be launched on December 24.

It will be carried out over an area extending from east of the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Aden.

Sayyari denied an Iranian media report from last week that the drill would close the Strait of Hormuz, which is the passageway for about 40 percent of the world's oil-tanker traffic.

Iran regularly holds war games.

compiled from agency reports