Iran, Russia, China to Start Joint Naval Exercise in Northern Indian Ocean

By Staff, Agencies

Naval forces from the Islamic Republic of Iran, Russia and China will start a combined naval exercise in the northern tip of the Indian Ocean, where various divisions of their militaries will conduct large-scale maritime maneuvers.

The main stage of the naval war game, dubbed Maritime Security Belt 2024, will kick off on Tuesday.

The naval and airborne units of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, together with their Chinese and Russian counterparts, will participate in the joint naval drills. Naval delegations from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Oman, Pakistan and South Africa have taken part as observers in the exercises.

The Maritime Security Belt 2024 naval drills are meant to beef up security and its fundamentals in the region, enhance multilateral cooperation among the participating countries, and to demonstrate the goodwill and ability of the participants to jointly safeguard global peace and maritime security.

The exercises are also intended to strengthen the security of international maritime trade, combat piracy and maritime terrorism, and provide an opportunity for the exchange of information in the field of maritime rescue as well as operational and tactical experiences.

The Iranian naval forces and their Chinese and Russian counterparts have held several military drills in recent years to enhance the security and stability of international maritime trade.

They have also been involved in joint efforts aimed at countering piracy and maritime terrorism, exchanging information in naval rescue and relief operations as well as sharing operational and tactical experience.

In March 2023, the Iranian, Chinese and Russian naval forces staged the 2023 Marine Security Belt war game in the northern parts of the Indian Ocean, which was the fourth joint exercise in recent years.