Iran, Russia, China flex naval muscle in strategic exercises
Iran, Russia, and China will begin their annual naval exercises on Monday. The drills will be organized near the southeastern Iranian port city of Chabahar, the Iranian Tasnim agency reported on Sunday.
On Sunday, the Chinese Ministry of Defense confirmed its participation in the Security Belt-2025 exercises. According to the Chinese weekly Global Times, it will send a destroyer and a supply ship.
Joint military maneuvers
As part of the training, the navies of the three countries will practice attacks on maritime targets and search and rescue operations. The maneuvers aim to deepen military relations and cooperation among the armies of the participating countries.
Security Belt-2025 will be the fifth joint Chinese-Iranian-Russian naval exercise since 2019.
The maneuvers will take place in the Gulf of Oman, the gateway between the Strait of Hormuz and the Indian Ocean, a strategic point on the energy resource transportation route.
Building an economic alliance
Sanctions imposed by the West are driving Russia, Iran, and China to tighten economic and political cooperation.
China has promised Russia a no-limit partnership and has signed a 25-year, $400 billion strategic agreement with Iran.
All three countries also join the same international organizations, such as BRICS. Their trade exchange is increasing, and plans for free trade zones, independent payment systems, and trade routes bypassing Western-controlled locations are emerging.
Meanwhile, Iran and Russia have deepened their military and political cooperation since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
Iran has supplied Russia with thousands of Shahed-type drones, which are being used in airstrikes on Ukraine, and is assisting Moscow in building a drone factory in Russia.
