TEHRAN – Iranian Chief of Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri has confirmed the country’s participation in the upcoming AMAN-25 naval exercise scheduled for February 7-11 in Karachi.
Mr Bagheri made the announcement during a visit to Islamabad, where he met senior Pakistani officials including the Chief of Army Staff, Air Force Commander, Defense Minister, Prime Minister and President.
The biennial AMAN exercise, hosted by the Pakistan Navy, aims to strengthen maritime security through international cooperation.
Key focuses include counterterrorism, preventing piracy, and performing search and rescue missions.
The exercise will include a variety of naval operations aimed at strengthening the capabilities of participating forces, including live-fire exercises, communications training, and humanitarian assistance operations.
These exercises provide a forum for navies to share tactics and strategies and increase interoperability among participants.
So far, confirmed participants in AMAN-25 are Iran, the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, demonstrating the fusion of regional and global naval powers.
Iran’s involvement in AMAN-25 follows a series of diplomatic and military exchanges with Pakistan.
General Bagheri’s recent visit to Islamabad was his third visit to the South Asian country, following previous visits in 2018 and 2021.
The expansion of military cooperation between the two countries is largely driven by mutual security concerns along the Iran-Pakistan border.
In 2023, the two countries conducted joint border security exercises to combat terrorism and drug trafficking. This partnership was further strengthened with the Security Cooperation Agreement in April 2024, which included the deployment of senior officials to border areas to strengthen counterterrorism efforts.