Navies of Iran, Pakistan to hold joint drill in Hormuz strait

DUBAI — The navies of Iran and Pakistan plan to hold joint military exercises in the eastern part of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, Iran’s state news agency said on Sunday.

Several Pakistani naval vessels, including a warship and a submarine, docked at the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, the IRNA news agency said, citing an Iranian navy statement.

“The most important activity of the Pakistani fleet during its stay in Bandar Abbas is to launch joint manoeuvres with selected units of Iran’s navy in eastern waters of the Hormuz Strait,” Iranian Rear Admiral Shahram Irani told IRNA.

Iran’s state news agency said the joint naval exercises were aimed at promoting military cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad but gave no details of the plans.

More than a third of the world’s seaborne oil exports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow corridor between Iran and Oman. Western navies, led by the United States, patrol the region to ensure their safe passage.

A crude oil tanker was shot at last week as it sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, although such incidents are rare.