Warships from Iran, China and Russia began their annual joint exercises in the Gulf of Oman on Monday, showing off their military ties to President Donald Trump overturning the long-standing Western Alliance.
The “Security Belt 2025” drill, held near Iran’s Chabahar port, is the fifth joint naval exercise that Iran, China and Russia have been holding since 2019.
Analysts have long looked at the drill as an empirical demonstration of a growing partnership between three authoritarian powers that are trying to influence us and challenge the Western-led global order.
I wrote the message for this drill in my rehearsal report. “Such drills are not limited to the military dimension, but rather overlap with political and economic contexts and reflect the priorities of the countries participating in this exercise in light of strengthening Western pressures on these forces and efforts to strengthen national rights efforts before and after.
With Washington trying to increase pressure on Tehran on its nuclear program and missile capabilities and imposing new economic sanctions on the country, piloting is at a critical time amid growing tensions between Iran and the US.
According to Al Jazeera, US President Donald Trump has clarified his political message beyond the threat of President Donald Trump’s recent military action against Iran and his traditional military dimensions if he refuses to negotiate the addition of another dimension to the joint operation of Iran, Russia and China.
The locations chosen for the exercise also include a special strategic message. The exercise will be held at Iran’s Chabahar port overlooking the Indian Ocean and is not only a naval base, but also a point of regional economic projects, and will be the heart of international trade routes and Iran’s logistics targets.
Given the current international situation, this development is important for political and military circles. This is because the aforementioned manipulation is being carried out simultaneously with the increase in international isolation of Russia as a result of the war in Ukraine, and with the fierce competition between China and the US in the Indo-Pacific region.
“These maneuvers in Chabahar are part of the response to Trump’s threat to Iran, and Trump should know that Iran is not alone, but allies such as Russia and China are on their side,” Hossein Kanani Mogadam, a professional political analyst in foreign policy, told Al Jazeera.
He said that such operations will take place at specific intervals, such operations will take place at certain intervals, including some military, security and intelligence reporting cooperation.
“The message of these operations is clear. Asian countries such as Iran and China are, along with Russia, willing to work together to ensure regional and international security,” said Kanani Mogadam.
Also, in an interview with Al Jazeera, international security expert Aref Dehghandar said in this respect that the choice of Chabahar port to hold joint operations between Iran, China and Russia was due to the geological importance of the region.
Regarding the timing of the Maritime Security Belt 2025 between Iran, China and Russia, he said: “This timing is extremely important as it is taking place in light of an increasing threat from the Zionist regime and the United States, with the aim of limiting Iran’s nuclear program.”
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