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Iran, Russia and China will hold joint naval drills off the Iranian coast this week to boost cooperation, Iranian media reported on March 9.
According to the Tasnim News Agency, the drills “will begin on Tuesday [March 11] in the port of Chabahar”, located in southeast Iran on the Gulf of Oman.
“Warships and combat and support vessels of the Chinese and Russian naval forces, as well as the warships of Iran’s naval forces of the army and the Revolutionary Guards”, the ideological arm of Iran’s military, are expected to participate, the semi-official news agency said.
The exercises will take place “in the northern Indian Ocean” and aim to “strengthen security in the region, and expand multilateral cooperation between participating countries”, it added.
Azerbaijan, South Africa, Oman, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Qatar, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka will attend the Iranian-Russian-Chinese drills as observers.
The Chinese Defense Ministry announced that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy will be sending a destroyer and a replenishment ship to the drills.
The drills will feature training courses including maritime target strike, VBSS [visit, board, search, and seizure], damage control as well as joint search and rescue operations, according to a statement from the ministry.
According to the statement, the drills are meant to deepen military mutual trust and pragmatic cooperation among the participating countries’ troops.
The upcoming drills, dubbed Security Belt-2025, will be the fifth Iranian-Russian-Chinese joint naval exercise in the Middle East since 2019.
The drills come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States. The administration of President Donlad Trump has already stepped up pressure on Tehran. In addition, the Israeli threat to the Islamic Republic has never been higher.
Iran, Russia and China all share a common desire to counter what they characterise as American hegemony in the Middle East and the rest of the world.
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