Iran launched a two-day missile drill on Thursday in the northern Indian Ocean and Sea of Oman. The exercise, titled “Sustainable Power 1404,” is Iran’s first large-scale military drill since the 12-day war in June. It highlights Iran’s naval and missile capabilities amid elevated regional tensions.
State television reported the deployment of surface and subsurface warships, air units, missile defense batteries, and electronic warfare brigades. Navy spokesman Rear Admiral Abbas Hassani told the ISNA news agency that precision-strike cruise missiles, such as the Nasir and Qadir, were used in the drills. “The exercise is for improved combat readiness, an improved command system, and reinforcement of deterrence,” he stated.
The drills took place about a month after the “Casarex 2025 joint drill with Russia in the Caspian Sea. These actions follow the 12-day war in June, during which Israel struck Iranian missile sites. In retaliation, Iran struck Israeli cities with missiles and drones and attempted a strike on a U.S. base in Qatar.
Iranian media reported that the frigate IRIS Sabalan and corvette IRIS Ganaveh successfully launched missiles at sea targets. Analysts believe the drill is a reaction to recent Israeli drills that simulated attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities and a display of Tehran’s capability to recover from wartime losses.
Iran maintains two separate naval forces: the conventional Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN), which is a part of the traditional army, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN). While both are responsible for defending Iranian interests at sea, their missions, capabilities, and areas of operation differ, according to a Defense News analysis.
The IRIN patrols the Gulf of Oman, the Indian Ocean, and the Caspian Sea, while the IRGCN controls the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGCN has a history of seizing Western vessels and shadowing U.S. warships during past tensions.
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