The Iranian Navy launched two-day drills called Eghtedar-99 in the Gulf of Oman.

The drill, which is held on an annual basis, distinguished this year by the presence of a new domestically-produced heliopter carrier Makran, which the Iranian media called the "largest" warship in the country’s fleet.

“The exercise took place unexpectedly and the participating units spread to the area in a very short time since notified,” said Rear Admiral Hamzeh Ali Kaviani, the spokesperson of Eghtedar 99' naval drill Deputy Navy Commander for Coordination.

"By holding this exercise, we will be able to assess and evaluate the ability to react in a timely and effective manner to the possible conditions caused by the enemy threat, so that by eliminating the weaknesses and strengthening the strengths, we can have a performance commensurate with the threat level," Kaviani added.