Iran forces drill near the Strait of Hormuz
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Iran forces drill near the Strait of Hormuz

Revolutionary Guards conduct military exercises on island overlooking strategic oil shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf

By AP 21 November 2013, 12:33 pm 0 Edit
Trading dhows and ships are docked on the Persian Gulf waters near the town of Khasab, in Oman, in January of 2012. (photo credit: Kamran Jebreili/AP)
Trading dhows and ships are docked on the Persian Gulf waters near the town of Khasab, in Oman, in January of 2012. (photo credit: Kamran Jebreili/AP)

TEHRAN, Iran — An Iranian news agency says paramilitary forces have wrapped up maneuvers on an island near the strategic oil tanker shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Thursday’s report by the semiofficial Fars news agency says the two-day drills on Qeshm Island included hundreds of Basij forces, the paramilitary wing of the powerful Revolutionary Guard. Qeshm overlooks the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the route for one-fifth of the world’s oil tanker traffic.

In past years, Iran had threatened to block the waterway in retaliation for international sanctions, but no longer issues such warnings.

Similar military exercises were held in other areas across Iran, which regularly holds maneuvers for its armed forces.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

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