Amid Iran-US tensions, Tehran’s troops have practiced overpowering an aircraft carrier – using a mock-up in lieu of the real thing – during a massive exercise. The fake warship was attacked from the air and circled by speedboats.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched the final leg of The Great Prophet joint exercise on Tuesday, deploying troops from several of its branches. The drill was held in the southern province of Hormozgan as well as the western part of the Strait of Hormuz.
One of the highlights of the exercise was the assault on a mock aircraft carrier, made to resemble the Nimitz-class ships of the US Navy, complete with models of warplanes parked on its deck. Iranian paramilitary forces fired a missile from an attack helicopter and rappelled a commando unit onto the ship, while speed boats were circling around it, footage of the drill released to Iranian media shows.
The exercise also involved deployment of combat swimmers, missile test launches, a drill for anti-aircraft batteries and other elements. Photos provided by Iran’s recently launched Noor satellite played a part in the war games, some media reported.
The naval maneuvers have been imaged by the commercial satellites of Maxar Technologies, according to Associated Press. A similar exercise involving a full-size replica of an aircraft carrier was held by Iran in 2015.
Animosity between Iran and the US remains high as the Trump administration continues to pursue its “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran. The Iranian government says economic damage it has suffered has not undermined its resolve to sand up to Washington, including through military means. The Strait of Hormuz, where the exercise was conducted, is a crucial waterway for global oil trade that Iran threatened to blockade if the US launches a military attack against it.
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