The Iranian and Russian military began a joint naval exercise in the Indian Ocean with the aim of increasing the security of maritime trade in the region, Iranian state TV reported on Tuesday.
The TV said units from the Iranian Navy and the powerful naval forces of the Revolutionary Guard will participate in the exercise called “Iran-Russia Maritime Security Belt 2021” in the northern part of the Indian Ocean, covering a stretch of about 10,600 miles.
According to Iranian admiral Gholamreza Tahani, the spokesperson for the simulation, a Russian destroyer, a logistics ship and a helicopter would participate in the simulation. This is the second joint Russia-Iran exercise since 2019, when the two nations plus China held a four-day exercise.
A Russian warship and an Iranian army speedboat participate in a joint naval exercise on Tuesday. (AP / Iranian Army)
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Tehran has sought to intensify military cooperation with Beijing and Moscow amid regional tensions with the United States. Visits to Iran by Russian and Chinese naval representatives have also increased in recent years.
In recent months, Iran has stepped up military exercises as the country tries to pressure President Joe Biden over the nuclear deal, which he said the United States could rejoin.
Last Thursday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard conducted an exercise of ground forces near the Iraqi border where drones, helicopters and military tanks were used.
Iranian and Russian military personnel began a joint naval exercise in the Indian Ocean with the aim of increasing the security of maritime trade in the region, Iranian state TV reported on Tuesday. (AP / Iranian Army)
Former President Donald Trump in 2018 unilaterally pulled the U.S. out of Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers. Under the agreement, Tehran has agreed to limit uranium enrichment in exchange for lifting economic sanctions.
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When the Trump administration subsequently imposed severe sanctions on Tehran, Iran gradually and publicly abandoned the limits of the agreement on its nuclear development.
Iran’s navy chief, Admiral Hossein Khanzadi, said the Indian and Chinese navies would also participate in the exercise, the state news agency IRNA said on Tuesday.