BRICS+ Powers Russia, Iran and China Flex Military Muscle in Massive Naval Drills
© Photo : Russian Defense Ministry
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Iran joined BRICS+ and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2023, and has been hosting naval drills with Russia and China since 2018. A report put out this week by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence recently listed the three countries plus North Korea as state actors capable of challenging the US drive for global hegemony.
Warships from Russia, Iran and China have kicked the latest round of maritime drills in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean.
The large-scale exercises, dubbed ‘Maritime Security Belt 2024’ and involving over 20 ships, support vessels and naval helicopters, got under way on Tuesday and will continue until Friday, taking place across an area of 17,000+ square kilometers.
Ships involved include Russia’s Varyag missile cruiser and the Marshal Shapashnikov frigate, China’s Urumqi guided missile destroyer and the Linyi guided missile frigate, plus ten Iranian warships, including the cutting-edge Shahid Mahmoudi, Shahid Soleimani and Shahid Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis catamarans, the Tondar-class Shahid Tavassoli frigate, and fast attack boats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Naval Force.
A video of #Iran-Russia-China joint naval drill, known as “Marine Security Belt 2024” in the Sea of Oman. pic.twitter.com/8bIAmKFjtd
— IRNA News Agency (@IrnaEnglish) March 13, 2024
Drill spokesman Admiral Mostafa Tajeddini has indicated that the exercises’ main goal is to strengthen “the security of international maritime trade, combating piracy and maritime terrorism.”
“We have been saying for years that the security of the northern Indian Ocean should be maintained by regional countries and those with any interests there. We have taken on this pivotal role for the past five years and we have been working alongside our two friend countries – Russia and China. This year, several countries have sent observers, and we hope to expand this kind of cooperation with the regional countries in order to increase security and to fight against sea terrorism and piracy,” Tajeddini said.
The exercises feature search and rescue training, special joint tactical operations to free hijacked ships, aerial and naval target practice, including at night, and other tactical and operational maneuvers.
In a Press TV interview, Rear Admiral Mostafa Tajeddini, the spokesman for the joint naval drills, gave more details about the ‘Security Bond-2024’ drills between Iran, Russia and China. pic.twitter.com/mkHPp4NqvG
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) March 12, 2024
Following live-fire drills Tuesday, IRGC Navy Rear Admiral Amrollah Nozari pointed out that the three countries’ naval assets were operating in an area which “includes three of the world’s five strategic straits, located in the northern Indian Ocean region, which is a crucial hub for energy and trade traffic globally.”
According to the commander, along with demonstrative efforts to “enhance regional security,” the drills are aimed at fostering broader multilateral cooperation, and “forging a maritime community with a collective destiny.”
This year, the drills are being observed by representatives from the armed forces of Oman, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and South Africa.
Maritime Security Belt drills have been held annually since 2018, demonstrating unprecedented security cooperation among the three major Eurasian powers, which have been strengthening their economic, political and military ties consistently for over two decades.
Iran joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS+ last year, and signed 19 documents on expanded bilateral cooperation with Russia in February, having previously signed a 25-year comprehensive security agreement with Beijing in 2021. Russia and Iran have also been key partners in the joint battle against terrorism in Syria, assisting the nation’s military and providing humanitarian support for Damascus amid a brutal US regime of sanctions and occupation.
In addition to their practical anti-piracy and terrorism mission, Maritime Security Belt drills have an important symbolic significance, serving to cool tempers and tensions during the Iranian-US crisis of 2018-2020, and again amid the war in Gaza, and efforts by hawkish Israeli and US officials to drag Tehran into the conflict.
