Navy to hold two war games south of Iran

The Iranian Navy has devised plans to stage two joint naval exercises with foreign military forces in the country’s southern waters in the coming months, a top commander said.

Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said on Friday that the two military drills will be held in the international waters south of Iran, Tasnim reports.

He said the Iranian naval forces will hold a joint naval rescue and relief exercise with the Sultanate of Oman, noting that other countries have been also invited to attend the drill.

The commander added that another exercise, known as the ‘Sustainable Security’ war game, will be held afterward.

While the latter was being participated by only three countries until last year, this year’s war game will involve more states including main participants and observers from various continents, he stated, adding that the exercise will cover the northern parts of the Indian Ocean.

After the conclusion of the 2023 Marine Security Belt naval war game in March, which included the Iranian, Chinese, and Russian forces, the Iranian Navy commander said more countries would take part in the exercise in 2024.

He had expected that more countries and naval flotillas would attend the joint war game in 2024 at a higher level, considering that maritime security prevails in the region.

The aim of the joint exercise in March 2023 was to strengthen security and its foundations in the region, expand multilateral cooperation among the three countries, and demonstrate their goodwill and ability to support global peace, maritime security, and the creation of a maritime community with a common future.