Tasnim � The Iranian Air Force has dispatched a number of its warplanes to the Caspian Sea for participation in a massive naval exercise, a Navy commander said.





A number of F-4 Phantom fighter jets have taken part in the Iranian Navy�s drill in the Caspian Sea, Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi told Tasnim.

Code-named �Sustainable Security and Power 96�, the naval exercise involves a whole range of military vessels, commando units, divers, rescue and relief teams, electronic warfare units and radar stations, he added.

As regards the purposes of the five-day maneuver, which began on Sunday, the commander pointed to tactics to ensure sustainable security in the Caspian Sea, announcement of Iran�s readiness for cooperation with the other Caspian states, sending the message of peace and friendship, as well as testing and evaluating the new weapons and military systems mounted on the naval vessels.

He also noted that Damavand destroyers and Peykan-class military ships are taking part in the drill.

In recent years, the Iranian Navy has held several military drills in southern and northern waters.

The Islamic Republic has repeatedly assured other nations, especially its neighbors, that its military might poses no threat to other countries, stressing that its defense doctrine is based on deterrence.