TEHRAN (Tasnim) � Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced that his forces are planned to hold naval drills in international waters to the east of the Strait of Hormuz in the coming days.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Rear Admiral Sayyari pointed to the Iranian Navy�s efforts to ensure security in regional waters and said, �We have tried our best to establish security and we have been successful particularly at sea.�

�We will stage a wargame east of the Strait of Hormuz on December 22 and 23,� the commander noted.

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, connects the Persian Gulf with the Sea of Oman.

It is the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the high seas and is one of the world's most strategically-important choke points.

Sayyari further made it clear that the message of the Iranian Navy�s various wargames has always been peace and friendship for regional countries.

Back in November, Rear Admiral Sayyari said over the past seven years, 36 Iranian naval fleets had completed their overseas missions, travelling a total of 700,000 kilometers on their journeys.

The commander went on to say that those Iranian fleets have escorted 3,325 vessels and helped 22 foreign ships in emergencies.

By Tasnim News Agency