Tehran starts naval war games

Tehran: Iran's navy started more than a week of war games in the Gulf yesterday using tactical submarines and small vessels carrying missile launchers, state television reported.

The exercises are the latest in a series of manoeuvres staged by Iran's military in the Gulf, where the United States has deployed a second aircraft carrier, a move widely seen as a warning to Tehran over its nuclear ambitions. State television said the war games staged by Iran's regular naval forces "showed their defensive power for protecting the Arabian Gulf".

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday confirmed his visit to New York to attend a session of the United Nations Security Council, the news network Khabar reported.