Ten days of Saudi Arabia naval exercises end in gulf

Ten days of live fire military exercises by the Saudi Arabia navy came to an end on Sunday (October 9).

The exercises took place in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman and come as tensions simmer between Saudi Arabia and its regional rival, Iran.

Tehran and Riyadh are fighting several proxy wars in the Middle East, including in Syria and Yemen, but both have been cautious about direct military confrontation.

The Gulf is a strategically important waterway with as much as 30 per cent of the world’s seaborne-traded oil, about 17 million barrels per day moving through the Strait of Hormuz in 2013, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Warships, speedboats, air navy aircraft, Marine Corps and special security naval units took part, state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

The manoeuvres are aimed at testing combat readiness “in preparation for the protection of the marine interests of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any possible aggression,” reported SPA quoting commander of the exercises, Rear Admiral Majed bin Hazza’a Al-Qahtani.

Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia is concerned by the growing clout in the region of Shi’ite Iran, which has emerged from years of international economic sanctions following a deal over its nuclear program signed by Tehran and world powers in 2015.

Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition of Muslim countries, backed by the United States, Britain and France, in a war in neighbouring Yemen.

The campaign, aimed at restoring a government ousted by an Iran-allied militia, is part of a more assertive effort by Riyadh since last year to counter Iran’s influence