Hong Kong
CNN
–
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.
According to Chinese provincial media, the “Security Belt 2025” drill, which will be held near Iran’s Chabahar port, is the fifth joint naval exercise 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.
But optics become even more prominent this year as Trump’s acceptance of Russia at the expense of Ukraine, urges Trump to disrupt the Transatlantic Alliance (the cornerstone of Western security) and to pay more for the protection of the US.
Asked about Sunday’s training, Trump said he was worried about how he showed his strength by the three American enemies.
“We’re stronger than all of them. We have more power than all of them,” he told Fox News, which was mounted on Air Force 1.
In Washington, concerns are growing about new strategic partnerships between China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, which US lawmakers call the “axis of authoritarianism,” “axis of dictators,” and “axis of dictators.”
The fear is that shared hostility towards the United States is increasingly driving these countries to cooperate. They alone amplify the threat poses to Washington and its allies, and perhaps at the same time to Washington and its allies in multiple parts of the world.
At the same time, Trump has openly embraced his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine by talking directly to Moscow, leaving Kiev and his European allies on the sidelines.
Military relations between Russia and North Korea were significantly strengthened last year, with the two signing mutual defense agreements, and Pyongyang sending troops to fight for Moscow in the invasion of Ukraine.
The drill occurs even as tensions between us and Iran rise.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has recovered his “maximum pressure” campaign in Iran, which includes efforts to drive oil exports to zero in order to stop Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The Gulf of Oman is an important gateway connecting the Indian Ocean and the Strait of Hormuz, passing through which more than a quarter of the oil passes traded in the world’s seaborne.
The US maintains its own important presence in the region through its 5th Fleet, based in nearby Bahrain.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said 15 combat vessels, support vessels, gunboats and helicopters will be involved in the joint navy exercise, according to state news agency TASS.
“The Russian side is represented by Lezki and Russian hero Aldar Tydenzapov Corbett and Pechenega Tanker of the Pacific Fleet,” the ministry is cited as saying.
Meanwhile, China deployed the Type 052D guided missile destroyer baotou and fed Gaoyouhu from a nearby Navy Escort Task Force to participate in the exercise, China’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
The drill, which aims to “strengthen military trust and strengthen practical cooperation,” includes simulated strikes on maritime targets, visit-post search operations, and search and rescue drills.
According to Iranian national media, Iran sent stealth missile corvettes and patrol ships.