China, Iran and Russia yesterday began joint naval drills in the Indian Ocean aimed at boosting marine security, Iranian state media reported.
Eleven Iranian vessels were joined by three Russian ships including a destroyer, and two Chinese vessels, state TV said.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard would also participate with smaller ships and helicopters, it added.
Photo: AFP
The report said the maneuvers would cover about 17,000km2 of the northern Indian Ocean, and include night fighting, rescue operations and firefighting drills.
It is the third joint naval drill between the countries since 2019.
It coincided with a visit by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Russia that ended on Thursday.
“Improving bilateral relations between Tehran and Moscow will enhance security for the region and the international arena,” Raisi said upon returning from Russia yesterday, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Tehran has sought to step up military cooperation with Beijing and Moscow amid regional tensions with the US.
Visits to Iran by Russian and Chinese naval representatives have also increased over the past few years.
Iran has been holding regular military drills since the middle of last year, as attempts to revive its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers flounder.
Russia is also at loggerheads with the US and the West over Ukraine, where it has sent about 100,000 troops that Washington, Kiev and their allies fear would be used to invade the country.
Russia on Thursday announced sweeping naval maneuvers in multiple areas involving the bulk of its naval potential — more than 140 warships and more than 60 aircraft — to last through next month.
The exercises would be in the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, the northeastern Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean, in addition to the joint exercise with Iran in the Indian Ocean, it said.
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