LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The war games cover a 2,000 kilometer stretch of sea off the Strait of Hormuz, northern parts of the Indian Ocean and into the Gulf of Aden, near the entrance to the Red Sea.

The exercise is Iran's latest show of strength in defiance of mounting international criticism over its controversial nuclear program. While Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, the West fears the program is aimed at developing atomic weapons.
 
Navy Chief Admiral Habibollah Sayyari says Iran is holding the drill to show off its prowess and defense capabilities. "To show off its might, the navy needs to be present in international waters. It's necessary to demonstrate the navy's defense capabilities," state TV quoted Sayyari as saying. According to Sayyari, submarines, surface-to-sea missile systems, missile-launching vessels, torpedoes and drones are being employed in the maneuvers.

The Strait of Hormuz is of high strategic significance as it is the passageway for about a third of the world's oil tanker traffic. Vast bodies of water, such as the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden lie beyond the strait.

The U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet is also active in the area, as are warships of several other countries that patrol for pirates there.

Iran regularly holds war games and has also been active in fighting piracy. Both the U.S. and Israel have not ruled out a military option against Iran over its nuclear program.

Iranian hard-liners have previously threatened that Tehran would seal off the key waterway if the U.S. or Israel moved against the country's nuclear facilities.

Iranian authorities have given no indication the strait will be closed during the exercise, and it has not been shut during previous drills.

The U.S., Britain and Canada announced new measures against Iran's energy and financial sectors in November and the European Union is considering a ban, already in place in the U.S., on imports of Iranian oil.

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