Iranian forces attacked a replica of a U.S. aircraft carrier during nationally televised large-scale naval drills on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.

More than a dozen speedboats were involved in what the news service dubbed a "show of force" near the strategically important entrance of the Persian Gulf. War games are common in the Islamic Republic, and hard-liners in Tehran apparently hoped to send a message of strength by simulating for the first time an attack on a symbol of American naval power.

Iran and the United States, along with the four remaining permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany, appear to be in the final phase of negotiations over the Tehran's controversial nuclear program. A deal seemed to be within reach at the beginning of the week, and Wednesday's drills seem to be a message that Iran has no intention of backing down, even if the talks end up falling apart.

The Islamic Republic's semi-official Fars news agency put the number of speedboats involved at 100. They swarmed the mock U.S. vessel armed with rockets, shoulder-launched missiles and mortars and struck it with cruise missiles, CNN noted based on Fars reports.

"Iranian naval forces displayed their skills in targeting enemy vessels and destroyed a mock U.S. aircraft carrier during the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy's massive (Great Prophet 9) wargames in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz," a Fars video caption emphasized.

In the past, tensions near the Strait of Hormuz have caused oil prices to spike, which was good news for a producer such as Iran, the AP explained.

Wednesday's drills provided Tehran an opportunity to showcase its elite Revolutionary Guard. The unit's chief commander, Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, said they sent a "message of (Iran's) might" to "extraterritorial powers," a reference to the United States.

Cmdr. Kevin Stephens, the spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain, said the United States had monitored the war games.

"We're quite confident of our naval forces' ability to defend themselves," Stephens said. "It seems they've attempted to destroy the equivalent of a Hollywood movie set."

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