Iran, China, Russia Team Up For Naval Drills This Week

The Iranian, Chinese and Russian navies are holding joint drills in the Gulf of Oman, which connects the strategic Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean.

Iran, China and Russia held similar exercises in 2019 and 2022, underscoring their growing military and political links amid growing tensions with the United States.

The five-day exercises, dubbed Security Belt-2023, “will help deepen practical cooperation between the participating countries’ navies,” China’s Defense Ministry said on March 15.

The ministry said China had dispatched a guided missile destroyer to take part in the drills centered on search and rescue at sea and other non-combat missions.

According to the Russian Defence Ministry, the active phase of the exercises take place on March 16-17 and involve daytime and night-time artillery firing.

The exercises come amid tensions between the United States and China over a range of issues, including Beijing’s refusal to condemn Moscow over its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and continuing support for the Russian economy.

The United States and its allies have supplied Ukraine with weapons and imposed punishing economic sanctions on Russia.

Iran and the United States have had no formal diplomatic relations since 1980 and came close to direct military conflict in recent years. Western countries have imposed several rounds of sanctions on the Islamic Republic over its human rights abuses and its supplies of military drones to Russia.