Iran claims US sabotage of missile program used to its ‘benefit’

Iran has for the first time successfully launched a cruise missile from a submarine.
An Iranian cruise missile fires into the air from a submarine during a test at Strait of Hormuz, at the mouth of the Gulf, February 24, 2019 in this still image taken from a video. IRINN/Reuters TV via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. IRAN OUT. TV RESTRICTIONS: Broadcasters: NO USE IRAN. NO USE BBC PERSIAN. NO USE MANOTO. NO USE VOA PERSIAN Digital: NO USE IRAN. NO USE BBC PERSIAN. NO USE MANOTO. NO USE VOA PERSIAN. For Reuters customers only. - RC1ADC9DF530
An Iranian cruise missile fires into the air from a submarine during a test at the Strait of Hormuz, at the mouth of the Gulf, Feb. 24, 2019, in this still image taken from a video. - RINN/Reuters TV via REUTERS
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

On the third day of military drills, the Islamic Republic of Iran's navy successfully launched a cruise missile from a submarine in the Persian Gulf.

The drill was part of a weeklong military drill named Velayat 97, after the current Iranian calendar year 1397 (ending March 20, 2019). The exercise took place in the Strait of Hormuz, an important strait between the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman in which a large percentage of the world’s oil passes through — a point Iranian officials periodically remind the world when responding to attempts to embargo Iranian oil.

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