Beijing, 21 January 2022 (TDI): Russia, China, and Iran held third joint naval drills today. The drills are part of the “2022 Marine Security Belt” exercise and were held in the northern Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Navies from Iran, Russia, and China are participating in the maritime drills. The exercise will be conducted over an area of 17,000 square kilometers and will include various tactical maneuvers like shooting at air targets at night, releasing a hijacked vessel, as well as rescuing a burning vessel.

2022 Marine Security Belt Exercise

The three partners first began joint naval exercises in 2019 in the Sea of Oman area as well as the Indian Ocean Region. The partnership for drills aims to fortify security along with its foundations in the region.

Moreover, the joint exercise will boost multilateral collaboration between the three countries. In the long run, this will help them to create a maritime community with a shared future, ensure maritime security, and jointly support world peace.

Ever since President Ebrahim Raisi took hold of the President’s Office in June last year, Iran is pursuing a “look east” policy to deepen ties with Russia and China. Another noteworthy development in this regard is Iran’s joining of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in September, last year.

Aside from that, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian also visited China last week. Furthermore, yesterday, Iran’s President called on his Russian counterpart in Moscow. Exercises like the “2022 Marine Security Belt” exercise are an apt example of defense diplomacy and security relations between the partner countries.

Such ventures serve to assess not only the operational preparedness of the forces as well as battle readiness but also the swiftness of collaborative response in case of a relevant situation. Additionally, in today’s ever-evolving geopolitical environment it is very important.

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