Iran Navy chief calls for expansion of ties with Russia

Iran's Navy Commander Shahram Irani has called for the growth of cooperation between the Iranian and Russian navies.

“The last three joint maritime exercises involving Iran, Russia, and China contained an important message for our common enemy," Irani said at a meeting with Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Nikolai Yevmenov in Tehran on May 15, according to IRNA news agency.

In turn, Yevmenov also expressed hope that his trip would further improve Tehran-Moscow relations, saying that the Russian Navy was ready to reach an agreement with Iran on further "promotion of bilateral interaction".

In the past few years, Iran, China, and Russia held joint naval drills in the Gulf of Oman and the northern reaches of the Indian Ocean in March, dubbed "Marine Security Belt 2023".