Russia, China, Iran 'war game 202' navy drills end in Arabian Sea
The joint drills may serve in counteracting the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) trilateral security pact.
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Iranian and Chinese Navy soldiers at the end of the exercise trio - Russia, China and Iran naval drills, March 2023 (Tasnim)
Russia's Northern Fleet confirmed on Saturday that the trio - Russia, China, and Iran - have successfully ended the joint naval drills in the Arabian Sea which entailed using the Admiral Gorshkov warship that has the capability to host hypersonic Zircon missiles.
"Today, a trilateral naval exercise involving warships and support vessels of the Russian navy, the navy of the People's Liberation Army of China, and the navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran ended in the waters of the Arabian Sea near the port of Chabahar in Iran," the Northern Fleet said in its statement.
The Iranian, Chinese, and Russian navies joined forces in the Gulf of Oman in an attempt to fortify security and cooperation. Named the "naval security belt combined war game 202," the drills were launched on March 15 and were intended to "deepen practical cooperation among the navies of participating countries," it added.
An AUKUS counteract
The Commander of the Iranian Navy, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said on Friday in an interview with Press TV that maritime security chiefly forms the basis of the joint exercise held by Russia, China, and Iran in the Sea of Oman.
Part of the training exercises was a simulation of a hijacked ship with hostages and aid a ship in distress.
Vessels from Russia's Northern Fleet with the Admiral Gorshkov warship and sea tanker Kama partook in the exercise, alongside Chinese destroyer Nanjing, and Iran's destroyers Sahand and Jamaran, corvette Bayandor, missile boat Tondar, and missile ship Zereh.
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The joint drills may serve in counteracting the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) trilateral security pact - a military alliance to boost nuclear capabilities and "strengthen stability in the Indo-Pacific region".
In more recent news as well, The Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese president Xi Jinping sent an offer to Iran and Arab nations of the Gulf, or the nations of the GCC, to host a summit this year in China.
