Iran to Conduct Naval Drills in Persian Gulf

The Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will conduct a military exercise named after the late Iranian Navy commander Mohammad Nazeri in the Persian Gulf.

The two-day drill is scheduled to begin tomorrow and will take place across the Persian Gulf, the Trio (Lesser Tunb, Greater Tunb and Abu Musa) Islands, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman, The Caspian Post reports, citing Iranian media.

Mohammad Nazeri, born in 1954 in Tehran, was a senior commander in the IRGC Navy and one of the founders of its special forces units. Known for his expertise in maritime and special operations, he played a central role in training elite naval commandos for several decades.

Nazeri was widely recognized in Iran for his key involvement in the January 12, 2016, operation that resulted in the detention of 10 US Navy personnel after their vessels entered Iranian waters.

He passed away on May 10, 2016, due to cardiac arrest, with some accounts linking his death to long-term complications from chemical injuries suffered during the Iran-Iraq War.

His leadership in this operation is widely acknowledged in Iran, and the upcoming drill is being held in his honor.