Iran Conducts War Games Near Strait of Hormuz

Iran is conducting a second day of war games near the Strait of Hormuz.

The Fars News Agency reports fighter jets successfully launched air-to-sea missiles against a predetermined target.

State television reports that this second stage of the six-day exercises expands into the east of the Gulf of Oman.

Officials say 60 combat units are taking part, including destroyers, missile-equipped ships, submarines, helicopters and fighter planes. The games are taking place over 130,000 square kilometers of sea.

Iranian state media quote a military official, Army Navy force Commander Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, as saying the force is prepared for any threats. He also praised the forces' use of domestically built equipment.

Tehran is under three sets of United Nations sanctions over its disputed nuclear program, which has made it difficult to get foreign help to maintain and improve its military.

It has recently announced the design and testing of several Iranian-made military pieces - including rockets, missiles and combat aircraft.

Israel and the United States, along with other nations, accuse Iran of secretly seeking nuclear weapons. Iran says its atomic program is for peaceful purposes and has staged numerous military maneuvers recently in what it says is a show of defensive strength.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz if it faces any attack over its nuclear program. About 40 percent of the world's oil travels through the strait, which separates Iran from the Arabian Peninsula.