Iran Navy pinpoints US carrier in drills

A senior Iranian commander says Iran's naval forces have identified a US aircraft carrier in an area of the navy's ongoing military exercises. Iranian Navy's Deputy Commander Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi said on Thursday that an Iranian Navy aircraft has shot footage and images of the US carrier spotted in an area where Iran's naval units were stationed for the Velayat 90 war games. He noted that the detection of the US aircraft carrier demonstrated that Iran's naval forces are precisely monitoring all moves by extra-regional powers in the region. The commander attached importance to the monitoring and assessing of the extra-regional forces' regional activities by the navy. Iran's Navy launched the massive 10-day Velayat 90 naval exercises on Saturday. The drill covers an area stretching from the east of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Aden. On Monday, Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said the naval maneuver in the international waters is intended to convey a message of peace and friendship to the countries in the Middle East. Over the recent years, Iran has made important breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems. The country has repeatedly made clear that its military might is merely based on the nation's defense doctrine of deterrence and poses no threat to other countries.