TEHRAN – Iran’s army is holding a large-scale sea, land and air military drill, which comes shortly after the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) thwarted an attempt by the U.S. navy to pirate an Iranian oil tanker in the Sea of Oman.
The drill was launched on Sunday morning, incorporating soldiers, vessels, armored vehicles, manned and unmanned aircraft, and missile and radar systems in both offensive and defensive capacities.
Dubbed “Zolfaghar-1400,” the war games are aimed at “improving readiness in confronting foreign threats and any possible invasion”.
General Abdolrahim Mousavi, commander-in-chief of Iran’s army, told national television that the exercises are held in an area encompassing one million square kilometers (386,000 sq miles) east of the Strait of Hormuz, the Sea of Oman, and the northern parts of the Indian Ocean.
On land, the drill is held in the general area of the southeastern provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan, and Hormozgan, in addition to the coasts of Makran.
“Since we are aware that the enemy is trying to gather its required information after our forces mobilized in the area, from today we are reinforcing our efforts to monitor enemy movements that had begun days ago,” he said from the southeastern port of Konarak.
Gen. Mousavi also detailed that on the first day of the drill, which is expected to last several days, vessels and commandos undertook an operation to breach enemy shore defenses from the sea, while Iranian forces and missile and radar systems simulated defending beach lines.
National TV also aired footage of speedboats maneuvering at sea, soldiers boarding combat helicopters, and commandos parachuting out of aircraft to land on beach areas.
Iran’s army and the IRGC have held several large-scale drills in different parts of the country in recent months amid tensions with the U.S. and threats by the occupying regime of Israel.
Iranian military officials on Sunday continued to praise the country’s military capabilities in relation to a confrontation over the tanker publicized on Wednesday that they said the U.S. tried to seize in order to “steal” its cargo of Iranian oil.

Gen. Yadollah Javani, the IRGC’s political deputy, told the national broadcaster that the U.S. is trying to prevent Iranian oil sales and enforce unilateral sanctions it imposed following its 2018 withdrawal from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal.
“But the Americans were caught unawares because … IRGC Navy forces used heliborne operations to deploy troops on the tanker that wanted to steal Iranian oil and redirected the ship to Iranian waters from a long distance,” he said.
Earlier this week, national television aired dramatic footage of the incident, which happened on October 25, showing Iranian soldiers boarding the vessel. They were also shown warning off a U.S. ship and helicopter, and escorting the tanker back.
The tanker, called the Sothys, and its crew are now in Iranian custody. The incident was publicized a day before the 42nd anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran.
Iranians celebrated the anniversary on Thursday with anti-American and anti-Israeli messages, and IRGC commander-in-chief General Hussein Salami praised the response to the tanker incident and pledged to resist American influence in the region.
The commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said Sunday the Iranian armed forces will give a crushing response to any threat posed by any country and any aggressive power.
Major General Gholam-Ali Rashid advised the enemies to avoid testing the military might of Iran’s Army and the IRGC, saying the two forces are composed of valiant children of Iran, who have laid the foundation of the country’s defensive power.
The Iranian armed forces are incessantly striving to maintain their readiness in the face of the coalition of hostile countries, particularly the American-Zionist coalition, in order to keep the country secure and defend its territorial integrity, he said.
“Today, in this massive exercise, which is being held in the south of Sistan and Baluchestan province, Hormozgan province, the shores of Makran, and the northern Indian Ocean, we witness a great deal of readiness on the part of the Army’s land, air, naval and air defense forces, which is a source of pride,” General Rashid added.
In announcing the launched Zolfaqar-1400, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, the chief commander of the maneuvers, said a day earlier that the war game carries a serious warning to the enemies and ill-wishers of the Islamic Iran.
“And for the friendly and Muslim countries and our dear people, it carries hope regarding the resistance of the country’s Army and other Armed Forces… to establish and strengthen security in the region without the presence of extra-regional forces,” Sayyari told a presser.