More than 100 military vessels including combat ships, rocket launcher vessels and submarines took part in the parade accompanied by hovercrafts and warplanes. Iran's 32nd fleet, which was previously on the mission in the Indian Ocean, returned to take part in the parade as well, according to Tasnim.
The combined military exercises named "Muhammad Rasulullah" (Muhammad, the messenger of God) covered an area of 2.2 million square kilometers (850,000 square miles) from the northern Indian Ocean to the Strait of Hormuz which connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
The drills also covered the southern and southeastern Iranian provinces of Hormozgan, Sistan and Balouchestan. The exercises, undertaken to improve the response time of the country's military forces and test the latest military equipment, involved Iran's Ground Force, Air Force and Navy, Tasnim reported.
The Strait of Hormuz, covered by the area of military exercises, is considered to be of strategic importance as it is used to transfer large amounts of oil from the Persian Gulf to other countries, including the United States. According to various estimates, about 20 percent of global oil exports cross the strait.
