Iran's Revolutionary Guard confirmed Sunday it has held war games in the Persian Gulf over the past several days, saying they were aimed at "confronting possible threats" by enemies, state news agency IRNA reported.
U.S. officials said Thursday that the United States believed Iran had started carrying out naval exercises in the gulf, apparently moving up the timing of annual drills amid heightened tensions with Washington.
"This exercise was conducted with the aim of controlling and safeguarding the safety of the international waterway and within the framework of the program of the Guard's annual military exercises," Guard spokesman Ramezan Sharif said, according to IRNA.
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