KEY POINTS
- Iran, China and Russia will conduct Maritime Security Belt exercises in mid February.
- Drills highlight expanding military coordination in the northern Indian Ocean region.
- The exercises come amid heightened US/Iran tensions and diplomatic uncertainty.
Iran plans to hold joint naval exercises with China and Russia in the northern Indian Ocean in mid February, Iranian state linked media reported, as tensions between Tehran and Washington rise following recent warnings and diplomatic pressure from the United States.
The announcement underscores Iran’s efforts to demonstrate strategic partnerships and maritime reach at a moment of regional volatility.
The Maritime Security Belt exercises, now in their eighth iteration, are positioned by Tehran as a routine security operation but carry broader geopolitical significance given US naval presence nearby.
According to Tasnim news agency, the drills will include units from Iran’s regular navy and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy alongside Chinese and Russian naval forces.
The Maritime Security Belt exercises were launched in 2019 at Iran’s initiative and have been held annually or near annually since then.
They typically focus on counterpiracy, search and rescue and maritime security coordination in key shipping lanes connecting the Middle East to Asia.
The northern Indian Ocean is strategically important for global energy and trade flows, including oil shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The exercises follow statements by US President Donald Trump that a “massive armada” was moving toward Iran, paired with renewed calls for negotiations.
Farzin Nadimi, senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said the drills signal continuity rather than escalation.
“These exercises are meant to showcase interoperability and political alignment more than combat readiness,” he said.
Zhu Feng, professor of international relations at Nanjing University, said China views participation as stabilizing.
“Beijing frames these drills as contributing to maritime security and protecting commercial routes,” he said.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said Iran remains open to talks under “fair, balanced and noncoercive terms.”
Russian Defense Ministry statements in past drills have emphasized “collective security at sea.” Chinese Defense Ministry representatives have described participation as “normal military cooperation.”
Regional analysts expect continued trilateral drills, with scale and messaging calibrated to diplomatic conditions.
The Maritime Security Belt exercises reflect enduring military ties among Iran, China and Russia while highlighting how naval cooperation intersects with wider US Iran tensions in a critical maritime corridor.
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