Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have staged a large-scale military exercise near islands disputed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

According to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, the Revolutionary Guards held the drills to “demonstrate the navy’s power and combat defense readiness to protect the security of the Persian Gulf and the islands that are Iranian territory.”

The drills took place around the Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, Tombekuchak, and Tombezborg, which are disputed by Iran and the UAE.

The UAE has been calling for the return of the islands near the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran seized them in 1971 when the British ended their occupation and withdrew, but Iran counters that the three islands have always been its territory.

The Revolutionary Guard has deployed warships and unmanned aerial vehicles in the drills, and announced that it has 카지노사이트넷 installed additional ballistic missile launchers on Abu Musa Island.

The Iranian military’s drills come amid recent tensions with the US military in the Strait of Hormuz.