Iran Russia and China hold
For the fifth year in a row, Iran, Russia and China have begun joint naval drills in the Gulf of Oman. The drills, dubbed ‘Marine Security Belt 2025’, began on Tuesday near Iran’s Chabahar port. China’s state-run CGTN reported that the main goal of the drills is to strengthen cooperation between the participating countries’ navies.
The two-day drills include attacks on maritime targets, damage control and joint search and rescue operations.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the ship’s crews fired large-caliber machine guns and small arms at targets modeled after drones and simulated enemy aircraft during the day and night.
Iran Russia and China hold
The navies of Azerbaijan, South Africa, Oman, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Qatar, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka are also observing the drills, Iran’s Press TV reported.
China and Russia do not normally patrol the waters of the Middle East. In recent years, attacks on Israeli ships by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, the Israel-Hamas war and the formation of a 10-nation naval coalition led by the United States have further destabilized the region.
The exercises come at a time of heightened tension over Iran’s nuclear program. US President Donald Trump has sought to restart talks on a nuclear deal with Iran, but Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has accused the United States of seeking to dominate the region.
