US, allies to hold int’l naval exercise in Gulf

US, allies
to hold int’l naval exercise in Gulf
Warships from around the
world were assembling in the Gulf on Sunday for what the US military described
as the most widely attended international naval exercise ever held in the Middle
East. The exercise, which Washington says involves manoeuvres to improve mine
detection and clearance, comes at a time of rising regional tensions over Iran’s
controversial nuclear program.

Armada
of British naval power massing in the Gulf as Israel prepares an Iran
strike
Battleships, aircraft carriers, minesweepers and
submarines from 25 nations are converging on the strategically important Strait
of Hormuz in an unprecedented show of force as Israel and Iran move towards the
brink of war. Western leaders are convinced that Iran will retaliate to any
attack by attempting to mine or blockade the shipping lane through which passes
around 18 million barrels of oil every day, approximately 35 per cent of the
world’s petroleum traded by sea.