On Tuesday, China’s Defense Ministry announced that naval forces from China, Iran, and Russia — nations at war with the United States — are conducting joint drills this week in the Gulf of Oman.
Without providing any information, the ministry stated that other nations are also participating in the “Security Bond-2023” exercises.
The governments of Iran, Pakistan, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates have coastlines alongside the body of water at the vital Persian Gulf’s mouth.
The exercise will “inject good energy into regional peace and stability,” according to the ministry statement, and strengthen practical collaboration between the warships of the participating nations.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council of the United States, stated on Wednesday that the White House was unconcerned about the joint training exercise.
It won’t be the first time the Russians and Chinese have trained together, according to Kirby, who noted that the US and other countries often hold training exercises.
Kirby stated on CNN, “We’re going to observe it; we’ll monitor it to ensure that there’s no threat emerging from this training exercise to our national security interests or those of our allies and partners in the region.
But countries train. We frequently engage in it. We’ll try to keep an eye on it.
The exercises, set to take place from Wednesday through Sunday, coincide with heightened tensions between the United States and China over several topics, including China’s continued backing for the Russian economy and its failure to condemn Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.
The United States and its allies have denounced the invasion, punished Russia with economic sanctions, and given Ukraine defense equipment.
Since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979 and the kidnapping of US diplomats, Iran and the United States have been at odds.
To participate in the exercises focused on maritime search and rescue operations and other non-combat activities, China has sent the guided missile destroyer Nanning.
Djibouti, a nation in the Horn of Africa, is just over the Gulf of Oman, and it is here that China maintains its sole overseas military installation, replete with a navy port.
Similar exercises were performed by the three nations in 2018 and 2019, highlighting China’s expanding military and political ties with countries that the United States and its allies have mainly disregarded.
China hosted negotiations between Iran and its main Middle Eastern adversary Saudi Arabia this week, which led to an agreement on Friday to resume full diplomatic relations between the two countries after seven years of hostilities.
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