End of joint exercise of Iran, China, and Russia
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday, March 18, that the joint military exercise of this country with Iran and China in the Sea of Oman, named Maritime Security Belt 2023, has concluded.
This exercise was held near Iran’s Chabahar port while Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, is preparing to host his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Moscow. The Chinese President’s visit to Russia begins on Monday and will last for three days.
Russia, amidst the war with Ukraine, which has now lasted a year, continues joint exercises with its allies, especially China.
According to the statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the Chinese destroyer Nanjing participated in the exercise. The Gorshkov frigate, equipped with Russia’s latest generation of hypersonic cruise missiles, also took part in a joint naval exercise with China and South Africa last month.
Iran, China, and Russia have been holding an exercise called the Maritime Security Belt for four years, and Tehran says this exercise reflects its strategic relations with Beijing and Moscow.