US-led Gulf naval exercises underway
Forty-one countries practice minesweeping, protecting ports and energy installations in Gulf. American Navy says drills not specifically tailored to counter Iranian threats, aimed at 'enhancing capability to preserve freedom of navigation in international waterways'
The US Navy said envoys from 41 nations have gathered in Bahrain to begin anti-mine drills in the Persian Gulf amid efforts by Iran to expand its naval presence there.
The US-led exercises, which run through May 30, mark the second major show of maritime cooperation in the Gulf in less than a year.
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During the two-week International Mine Countermeasures Exercise (IMCMEX-13), the countries will practice minesweeping and protecting ports and energy installations in the Gulf.
Vice Admiral John Miller, Commander of the US Naval Forces Central Command, said on Monday the annual exercise was an "opportunity to enhance international naval capability to preserve freedom of navigation in international waterways.
US aircraft carrier (Archive photo: EPA)
"If 41 nations are willing to come here and practice MCM, just imagine how effective the global mine response would be if someone actually put mines in the water."
Iranian drill in Persian Gulf (Archive photo: MCT)
Although the US Navy said the drills are not specifically tailored to counter Iranian threats, the Islamic Republic repeatedly threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, east of Bahrain, in early 2012 during heightened tensions with the West over Tehran's disputed nuclear program.
Iranian threats to block Hormuz have since subsided, but the nuclear impasse remains.
Iranian drill in Persian Gulf (Archive photo: MCT)
There is also growing unease in the Middle East over Gulf Arab support for rebel uprisings against Tehran's ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Dropping mines is one way to disrupt shipping through the narrow route through which most of the Gulf's oil and gas is exported and many of the goods it consumes are imported.
The phase of the exercise staged on water, which begins next week, will involve 35 ships, 18 unmanned underwater vehicles and dozens of underwater explosives disposal divers.
In addition to minesweeping and flying drones, this year's event will include oil spill crisis management and protecting offshore terminals that oil and gas exporters rely on.
Last year's exercise included Britain and France, several Middle Eastern states and countries from as far afield as Estonia and New Zealand. The countries taking part this year have not been named.
Reuters, AP contributed to the report
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