MNA � Iranian and Pakistani navies have participated in a joint military drill in southern waters of the Sea of Oman.


Commander of First Naval Zone Rear Admiral Hossein Azad told reporters on Thursday that Iran�s Jamaran destroyer was joined by a second missile-launch war ship and a helicopter along with Pakistan�s fleet including Tipu Sultan destroyer and its entourage in a joint drill in the Sea of Oman; �the drill exercised airlifting, navy transportation, vertical exchanges, and host of other operations,� added the admiral. �In the drill 800 navy personnel from Iranian and Pakistani navies participated; Tipu Sultan-led fleet arrived in Bandar Abbas earlier this week and commanders held several introductory meetings which was cultural and administrative as well.�

Iran-Pakistan contacts of fleet exchange goes back to 2014 when two countries received navy fleets with messages of peace and friendship; the fleet is the 5th such fleet after fleets from India, Italy, and Russia arrived in the Fist Naval Zone.

Iran�s Navy was an observer in Pakistan�s February multinational drill, �Aman-17,� (�Safety-17�). Earlier in September, a fleet of Iranian navy had arrived in Karachi. In April 2016, Pakistan had visited Bandar Abbas when they held joint drill with Iranian destroyers.