News - Middle East: Iran and Oman have held a joint maritime rescue and relief exercise involving the naval forces of both countries in the Indian Ocean and the Strait of Hormuz.

The maritime drills were hosted by the Omani Navy and involved combat vessels from the Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and surface and aerial combat units of the Royal Navy of Oman based on maritime operational plans, the Information Center of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army said in a statement on Thursday.

Held within Oman’s territorial waters in the northern Indian Ocean and the Strait of Hormuz, the exercise included a variety of military training programs and the implementation of the most important modern methods for coordinating joint maritime and aerial search and rescue operations, under the established training plan.

According to the statement, this exercise was conducted to enhance combat readiness and implement agreements related to maritime security scenarios in the joint military friendship commissions of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Oman.

The drills, which were conducted with the support of the Air Force, police, and the maritime security center of Oman, involved the entirely Iranian destroyer Jamaran, the missile-launching vessel Zereh of the Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, two combat vessels from the (IRGC), and surface and aerial units of Oman’s naval forces, it added.

The activities also included joint rescue operations, helicopter patrols, area control and surveillance, deployment of divers, flag-raising ceremonies, and the dispatch of boats, the statement further said.

Meanwhile, the first joint and combined exercise of the Ground Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army and the Oman Army was held in Oman with the participation of the rapid response forces of both sides.

According to Commander of the Iranian Army’s Ground Force Brigadier General Kioumars Heidari, at the request and invitation of the Oman Army to conduct a counter-terrorism exercise, the first joint and combined exercise of the Ground Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army and the Oman Army was carried out in Oman.

The exercise focused on countering regional terrorism, establishing sustainable security, urban warfare, and the exchange and transfer of experiences between the two countries through daytime and nighttime tactic, he added.

Heidari also noted that the exercise took place over two days, with the participation of rapid response units and Special Forces from the 65th Airborne Brigade of the Iranian Army, supported by the Air Force and police of Oman, on Omani territory.

Source: Press TV