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The model of an American carrier
Iran launched missiles on a model of a US aircraft carrier in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The drill included fire so strong that the US military temporarily put two regional bases on alert.
The US Navy condemned “Iran’s irresponsible and reckless behavior”, calling it an attempt to “intimidate and coerce”.
The exercise comes at a time of increased tension between Tehran and Washington in the Gulf waters.
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Iranian Army fires missile at replica
The drills, called Prophet Mohammed 14th, were broadcast on state television.
The mockup, which resembles a carrier that the US routinely sails in the Gulf, is shown with fictional fighter jets on either side of its runway. Missiles are launched from a variety of angles, including some aimed at the carrier.
Another missile fired from a helicopter appears to hit the side of the fake warship.
“What was shown today in these exercises, at the level of the aerospace and naval forces, was all offensive,” the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Major General Hossein Salami, told state television.
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Missiles were also fired from the ground
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Iranian soldiers jumped into the simulated carrier
Ballistic missile fire was detected and US troops were put on alert in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, the US military said.
“The US Navy conducts defensive exercises with our partners that promote maritime security in support of freedom of navigation; while Iran conducts offensive exercises, attempting to intimidate and coerce,” said Commander Rebecca Rebarich, spokeswoman for the Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet of the U.S. Navy.
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