China, Russia, and Iran hold joint naval exercise
Chinese and Russian naval vessels held a joint Maritime Security Belt 2025 exercise in Iran.
The fifth joint naval exercise was held near the Iranian port of Chabahar in the Gulf of Oman, and included observers from Azerbaijan, South Africa, Oman, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Qatar, Iraq, the UAE, and Sri Lanka.
The drills, with an aim to “enhance military trust and strengthen practical cooperation,” will include simulated strikes on maritime targets, visit-board-search-seizure operations and search and rescue drills, the ministry added.
Iran has sent a stealth missile corvette and a patrol ship, according to Iranian state media.
The exercise is aimed at strengthening military ties between the three nations as they seek to counterbalance US influence and challenge the Western-led global order, analysts said.
Asked about the drills, Trump said he is “not at all” concerned about the show of force by the three US adversaries.
The Gulf of Oman is a crucial gateway connecting the Indian Ocean and the Strait of Hormuz, through which more than one-quarter of the world’s seaborne traded oil passes.
The exercises, held in the northern part of the Indian Ocean, are being conducted with the participation of the Navy and Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as well as naval flotillas from Russia and China.
Russian, Chinese naval vessels enter Iranian waters for major joint military drills
Iranian military officials have emphasized that the country’s naval capabilities have significantly expanded in recent years, allowing it to conduct operations far beyond its territorial waters.
As a case in point, they cite the Iranian Navy’s maintaining a presence in the Indian Ocean and beyond, which demonstrates its ability to defend national interests in high seas and contribute to regional security.
The Navy has, meanwhile, stressed that its growing power and participation in multinational drills served as a message to adversaries, particularly the United States -- which maintains a bloated military presence in the West Asia region --that Iran would not tolerate foreign intervention in regional affairs.
