Iran, Russia and China will hold joint naval drills in the Indian Ocean from December 22, 2019 -to January 20, 2020, Iranian navy commander Rear Adm. Hossein Khanzadi confirmed.
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Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi on November 30 said the manoeuvres will be held in the northern Indian Ocean from December 22 to January 20. The admiral’s statement did not give a specific location for the joint drills, although some media reports said they would be in the Gulf of Oman.
“The aim of those exercises is to ensure collective security and help boost the security in the northern part of the Indian Ocean, where various incidents, including pirate attacks, are taking place,” Iran’s Tasnim news agency quoted the official as saying.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on October 2 that during the upcoming exercises, Russia, China and Iran are intended to train anti-terrorism and anti-piracy efforts.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said those drills should not be viewed as a display of hostility to any other country. The joint naval drills come at a time of heightened tensions between the three nations and the West.
