By Lara Sukhtian
DUBAI — Naval forces from more than 30 countries were engaged Monday in a massive minesweeping exercise in the Arabian Gulf, U.S. officials said, amid Iranian threats to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S.-led International Mine Countermeasures Exercise (IMCMEX), the first of its kind in the Middle East, comes amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran over the Islamic republic’s controversial nuclear program.
The exercise kicked off Sunday, the same day the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned of retaliation against the Strait of Hormuz, Israel and nearby U.S. bases if his country is attacked and as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Tehran is “90 percent” toward having a nuclear bomb.
U.S. defense officials insist the exercise is not aimed at Iran or any one country but is simply designed to hone counter-mine capabilities among allies and partners.
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