Iranian maneuvers near Abu Mousa island

Iranian naval forces began military training exercises in the waters of the gulf near Abu Mousa, an island whose sovereignty is the subject of a dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, along with two other Gulf islands.

The spokesman of the navy said that the maneuvers will last for nine days in which the Iranian naval and air forces take part, including eleven warships, two submarines, eight fighter planes and helicopters, three diving units and ten units for special operations that will participate in the maneuvers covering 25,000 square meters.

The secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jamil al-Hujeilan, called on Iran to respond to the repeated calls by the UAE to end the row over the three Islands in the Gulf through direct negotiations between the UAE and Iran or through resorting to the International Court of Justice.