Iran, Russia, China conduct joint naval drills in Gulf of Oman

Iran, Russia, and China have commenced joint naval drills in the Gulf of Oman, marking the fifth consecutive year the three nations have conducted such military exercises. These exercises, coinciding with Iran's accusations of "bullying" by the United States, aim to bolster cooperation among the three countries.

According to the China Global Television Network (CGTN), the "Maritime Security Belt-2025" exercise began near Iran's Chabahar port on Tuesday, with the goal of enhancing "cooperation between the naval forces of the participating countries." The exercises include "striking maritime targets, damage control, and joint search and rescue operations."

Russia's Interfax news agency, citing a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry, reported that "over the course of two days, ship personnel used large-caliber machine guns and small-caliber weapons to fire at targets simulating unmanned surface vessels and mock enemy unmanned aerial vehicles during both daytime and nighttime." Observers from Azerbaijan, South Africa, Oman, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Qatar, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and Sri Lanka also observed the exercises.

While China and Russia do not typically patrol the waters of the Middle East, the militarization of waterways in the region has been on the rise in recent years. In late 2023, Yemen's Houthi rebels began attacking ships in the Red Sea with ties to Israel, claiming these actions were in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis suspended attacks after a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, but threatened to resume military operations if Israel did not lift its siege on Gaza. Israel has blocked food, medicine, and other essential supplies from entering the war-torn region for 10 days.

The United States and other Western countries have also increased their military presence in the Red Sea. U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he had sent a letter to Iranian leaders seeking to restart negotiations on a nuclear deal. Trump unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Tehran. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Washington of seeking to impose greater restrictions on Iran than in previous negotiations. Khamenei stated: "Some bullying governments insist on negotiations, but their negotiations are not aimed at solving problems, but at dominating and imposing their own expectations. For them, negotiations are a means of making new demands. The issue is not just the nuclear issue, they have raised new expectations that Iran will certainly not accept." Although Iran adhered to the agreement for more than a year after the U.S. withdrawal, it gradually reduced its commitments due to the failure of the remaining signatories to protect its interests. Unlike Israel, which is believed to possess approximately 90 nuclear warheads, Iran is not believed to have developed any nuclear weapons of its own.