MOSCOW (CU)_Iran, Russia and China are set to conduct a joint naval exercise in the northern Indian Ocean this month, the Kremlin’s ambassador to Iran revealed on Monday (Feb 8). According to Ambassador Levan Dzhagaryan, the exercise will include search and rescue as well as shipping safety drills.
In June 2019, two civilian oil tankers were bombed in the Guld of Oman, and although the United States blamed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for the attack, however, officials in Tehran have denied responsibility.
Nevertheless, the attack prompted Gulf countries and Western allies, led by the United States, to form the Task Force Sentinel, an international naval security task force set up to deter harassment and seizures of maritime vessels in the Persian Gulf region.
As tensions continued to escalate between Washington and Tehran, in December 2019, Iran joined Russia and China in a joint naval exercise in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman.
Last year, relations between the United States and Iran and reached a new low following the death of Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike in January 2020, and amid threats of revenge from Iranian leaders, in the recent months, the United States has set up a military show of force in the Persian Gulf region.
On Monday, top US commander for the Middle East, Gen. Frank McKenzie, signalled that Iran’s activities remain Washington’s greatest concern in the region. He has also said that while Russia seeks to expand its influence in the Middle East through transactional relationships with regional governments, on the other hand China may also post a great long-term threat to US dominance in the region.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden’s administration is seeking to re-join the 2015 nuclear deal, by demanding Tehran to return to strict compliance of the pact. Although Iranian leaders previously insisted that the government would only comply after Washington eases sanctions, however, last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif hinted on a way to resolve the impasse over who goes first, by saying the steps could be synchronized.
