IRIA News

China participated in joint military exercises alongside Russia and Iran in the Gulf of Oman, on March 14, 2024. The five-day long exercise, termed Maritime Security Belt 2024, was conducted at a strategically vital waterway near the entrance to the Persian Gulf.

The Security Belt-2024 joint exercise marked the fourth naval exercise between the three countries since 2019. The exercise kicked off following the arrival of Chinese warships in the vicinity of Chabahar, Iran. The Chinese vessels rendezvoused with participating Iranian and Russian naval ships, as reported by China Central Television (CCTV).

China’s Ministry of National Defense said in a press release that the exercise aims to jointly safeguard regional maritime security. The Security Belt joint exercise is hosted by the Iranian Navy, with more than 20 vessels, combatant boats, support carriers, and helicopters from the three countries participating in the exercise.

Naval envoys from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Oman, Pakistan, India, and South Africa were also present as observers during the exercise. According to a Russian state-owned news agency, all these countries plan to become full-fledged participants of the naval exercises in the future.

China sent three warships of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s 45th escort task force, the Type 052D guided missile destroyer Urumqi, the Type 054A guided missile frigate Linyi, and the Type 903A comprehensive replenishment ship Dongpinghu. The Russian Navy sent its guided missile cruiser Varyag and the large anti-submarine warfare ship Marshal Shaposhnikov.

A member of the PLA Navy’s 45th Escort Task Force, Liang Dong said in a statement, “The joint drills are conducive to enhancing exchanges and cooperation among the Chinese, Iranian, and Russian navies, and it further displayed [the three countries’] will and capability in jointly safeguarding maritime security and actively building a maritime community with a shared future.”

Iranian navy sent more than 10 vessels for the exercise including the frigates Alborz and Jamaran. Iran’s semiofficial Mehr News Agency reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) unveiled new warships during the exercise. Iranian Navy also featured the Shahid Soleimani corvette during the exercise.

Rear Admiral Mohammad Nozari, the IRGC commander of Iran’s base at Chabahar on the Gulf of Oman, said that the drill’s chief objectives were consolidating regional security, promoting China-Russia-Iran cooperation, and safeguarding global peace and maritime security.

Middle East security crisis

Although China, Russia, and Iran have been conducting the Maritime Security Belt exercise for several years now, this year’s edition has significance attached to it due to the ongoing security situation in the Middle East.

The Gulf of Oman, extending westward from the Arabian Sea, lies in the Middle East, encompassed by Iran, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. Serving as a channel between the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf, it links with the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistan and Iran border its northern region, while the western border is shared with the United Arab Emirates, and the southern border is with Oman.

The location is highly significant due to the maritime trade routes. An estimated 20% of globally traded oil moves through the narrow Strait of Hormuz passage linking the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Since 2019 the Gulf of Oman has seen a series of ship seizures and attacks.

A large-scale naval activity by Iran, China, and Russia in the region has alarmed Western observers, particularly the U.S. and its allies who have frequently blamed Iran for the attack and seizures of the maritime ship, although Tehran has denied the accusations.

The Western media linked the China, Russia, and Iran naval exercises with ongoing tensions in the Red Sea and the Israel-Palestine war. However, according to China’s Global Times, Chinese military experts slammed U.S. reports calling them “unprofessional” and citing that China has been conducting joint naval drills with Russian and Iranian navies in the region “long before the current tensions in the Middle East and that the Gulf of Oman is an entire Arabian Peninsula away from Gaza and the Red Sea.”

Deepening military ties

The U.S. and its allies have also been on alert due to the deepening military ties between the regional rival powers. Iran is a key supporter of both Hamas in Gaza and the Houthi rebels in Syria, the two organizations that are currently at war with the U.S.’s closest ally Israel. Many of the munitions used by both groups are believed to come from Tehran.

Meanwhile, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, ties between China and Russia have strengthened, triggering significant suspicion in the West. This suspicion extends to concerns regarding Beijing’s role as a crucial economic lifeline for Moscow.