Iran conducts naval exercise in Persian Gulf: US

Iran launched a naval exercise in the Persian Gulf on Thursday, just days before the US reimposes sanctions on Tehran, a defense official told AFP.
The timing of the exercise is unusual, as it appears to be similar in scale and nature to a drill that ordinarily happens later in the autumn. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said several dozen boats were out training early Thursday morning. The vessels are mostly small attack boats, and there have been no interactions with US ships in the area, the official added.
In a statement, Captain Bill Urban, the military's Central Command spokesman, said the US was "aware of an increase" in Iranian naval operations in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.