China, Russia and Iran to hold joint naval exercises
Photo: China, Russia and Iran will hold military exercises (facebook com mod mil rus)
China, Russia, and Iran to hold joint naval exercises in the Gulf of Oman near the Iranian port of Chabahar, reports China's Ministry of Defense press service.
According to China, the joint naval exercises, named "Security Belt-2025," aim to "enhance mutual trust and pragmatic cooperation between the armed forces of the three countries."
Iran's news agency Tasnim confirms the scheduled exercises in the northern part of the Indian Ocean, which are set to begin on March 11.
It is worth noting that China, Russia, and Iran regularly conduct joint naval exercises, with past drills held in 2019, 2023, and 2024. In 2022, the exercises took place in January, just a month before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In February, China conducted exercises in the Tasman Sea near Australia. Australian and New Zealand ships and aircraft monitored three Chinese military vessels for several days.
Australia complained that the Chinese drills forced airlines to adjust flight routes for safety reasons, but Beijing rejected these complaints.
In December of last year, China conducted its largest military exercises in 30 years, involving naval ships as well.
