IRAN’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) conducted unannounced drills earlier this week amid rising tensions with the US.
The war games were held near a string of strategic islands controlled by Iran but claimed by the UAE.
The Iranian troops deployed naval vessels equipped with cruise and ballistic missiles along with drones, warplanes, and helicopters.
The drills took place two weeks after the United States boosted its military presence in the Gulf in response to the seizures of foreign vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran on the other hand slammed the United States for defending the smuggling of highly-subsidized oil which is rampant in the strategic waterway.
Thousands of Marines and sailors onboard the military vessels USS Bataan and the USS Carter Hall are on their way to the Persian Gulf.
Major General Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the IRGC warned there is absolutely no need for the presence of America or its European or non-European allies in the region.
