Joint naval drills of China, Russia, and Iran to 'strengthen cooperation'

(Patria) – China, Russia, and Iran will begin joint naval drills in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman on Friday, the Chinese Ministry of Defense announced.

China will provide Xining, a guided-missile destroyer, for the exercises which will last until Monday.

The joint naval military exercise is intended to strengthen cooperation between the navies of these three countries, said Chinese Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian, explaining that it is a 'routine military exchange' that is 'in line with international law and practices'.

He emphasized that the exercise is 'not necessarily linked to the regional situation'.

The Gulf of Oman, which will be one of the exercise areas, is a particularly sensitive area as it is connected to the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil passes, and which is also connected to the Gulf.

The exercises are being held parallel to rising tensions between the US and Iran, as well as China.

Let us recall that tensions between the US and Iran have been rising since last year when US President Trump announced that the US was withdrawing from the so-called nuclear deal with Iran and 6 other countries, and that the US was re-imposing sanctions on Iran for violating the agreement.

This was followed by attacks on international ships in the waters of the Gulf, as well as an attack on Saudi oil processing facilities, for which Trump blamed Iran, which denies involvement.

China has close relations with Iran in the fields of trade, energy, and diplomacy, but also with Saudi Arabia, which Iran considers an opponent.

Reuters reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to visit Saudi Arabia next year as host of the G20 summit.