Page 53 - IRANRptOct20

Iran holds massive naval exercise in Sea of Oman
The Iranian navy and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps navy (IRGC) has begun a three-day exercise in the Sea of Oman, deploying warships, drones and missiles, IRIB reported on September 10.
The naval manoeuvres have occurred near the Strait of Hormuz in what the navy described as “tactical offensive and defensive strategies for safeguarding the country’s territorial waters and shipping lanes.”
The navy will test several of its newer weapons as part of its Zolfaghar 99, “named after the double-edged sword of the revered Shi’ite Islamic Saint Ali” in the Arabic. The exercises are being held over 2mn square kilometres of the sea, stretching from the northern part of the Indian Ocean to the Strait of Hormuz ​–​ a sensitive narrow shipping lane through which a fifth of the world oil output passes.
The test is expected to irk US naval presence in the region, with Commodore Shahram Irani describing the exercises as being extensive and also warning “foreign nations to steer clear of the area.”
"We saw focused activities by American UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) to gather information" on the exercise, he told the armed forces' website, adding that the US aircraft had since left the area.
The home-grown submarine Fateh and Simorgh drone are among the main equipment being used in the exercise.
IRIB displayed the locally developed Fatah-class submarine in its regional news on September 10 but only showed a four-second clip of it above water in a four-minute report on state television, BBC Monitoring said.
9.1.12 ​Utilities sector news
Iran, Qatar discuss connecting their power grids
Azerbaijan, Iran discuss progress on Khoda-Afarin and Qiz Qala’si hydroelectric dam projects
The energy ministers of Iran and Qatar have discussed connecting their countries’ power grids, IRNA has reported.
The small peninsular Persian Gulf Arab country has for more than three years so far been subject to a blockade by its traditional Arab neighbours, led by Saudi Arabia, sparked by political differences including a row over Qatari support given to Bashar al-Assad in Syria in 2018 and accusations that Doha’s relations with Tehran are too close. Rather out of necessity in many respects, Iran and gas-rich Qatar have during the boycott become closer allies, with Qatar Airways operating many flights to and from Tehran and other cities and Iran supporting the blockaded country with​ ​exports of vital supplies​ sent from its southern Persian Gulf coast.
Iran’s Minister of Energy Reza Ardakanian and gas-rich Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi met in Tehran on September 28.
The ministers also discussed a regional initiative to expand cooperation in desalination of seawater and recycled water.
Qatari officials announced their readiness to participate in further sharing desalination technology with Iran.
Azerbaijan and Iran have discussed progress on the construction projects for the planned Khoda-Afarin and Qiz Qala'si hydroelectric dams by the two countries on the Aras River, looking at the likely required budgets for building the infrastructure and securing equipment.
A bilateral agreement to build the dams and related power plants was signed in Tehran in 2016 and approved by the two countries' parliaments.
Iranian officials also said a joint technical commission reviewed Iranian-Azerbaijani cooperation in electricity projects, including cross-border electricity flows.
53​ IRAN Country Report October 2020 www.intellinews.com