‘Iran-China-Russia Drills Show Commitment to Secure Waterways’

“Our joint military drills in Oman Sea/Indian Ocean with our Russian and Chinese partners make clear our broader commitment to secure vital waterways,” Zarif said in a Friday tweet.

“Iran has long stated its readiness to work with our neighbours to secure Persian Gulf. #HOPE-Hormuz Peace Endeavour-is on table right now,” he added.

The tweet came on the same day that Iran, Russia and China started four days of joint maritime exercise, dubbed as the “Marine Security Belt”, in an area of 17,000 square kilometres.

The drills are held in an area which consists of “various tactical exercises”, such as target practicing and rescuing ships from assault and incidents such as fires.

At a news conference on Wednesday, senior Spokesman for Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi said the joint exercises will last until Monday.

Referring to the importance of the maneuver, he said the Indian Ocean and the Sea of Oman are key areas for the world trade, and many countries navigate through this region, so providing its security is of crucial significance.

He said the exchange of security experience between Tehran, Moscow and Beijing and counter-terrorism and piracy as well as countering terrorism and piracy are among the other goals of the drill.