Iranian naval forces have recently staged two large-scale maneuvers intended both to enhance their combat capabilities and to demonstrate their strength to the West.
The first exercise, called Great Prophet V and held on April 22-25, was conducted by the navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. The second, dubbed Velayat 89, began on May 5 and is scheduled to last eight days. It is being conducted by the Iranian naval branch of the Iranian military (IRIM) in the Gulf of Oman.
In order to deal with a complex security environment in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and taking into account many constraints on its naval power, Iran has been working to align its operational doctrine with its goals and capabilities. Accordingly, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as supreme commander of the armed forces, has assigned the IRGC’s navy sole responsibility for defending Iranian interests in the Persian Gulf, while the IRIM’s navy is tasked with boosting Iran’s presence in the Gulf of Oman.
Although this division of labor was formally announced in September 2008, the process of implementing it has already been under way for several years. Despite official rhetoric about “the brotherhood of the two navies” and reports of their close cooperation and coordination in many fields, the two forces are most definitely rivals.
The IRGC’s navy — which wields immense political influence…
