China has announced joint navy drills with Iran and Russia near the Iranian port of Chabahar. -AP
Joint naval drills organised annually between Iran, Russia and China will start on Monday inthe southeastern Iranian port of Chabahar, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported.
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The exercises, called Security Belt 2025, aim to "deepen military mutual trust and pragmatic co-operation among the participating countries' troops," according to China's defence ministry.
The ministry added that the drills will incorporate training courses including maritime target strike, VBSS (visit, board, search, and seizure), damage control and joint search and rescue operations.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) will send the destroyer Baotou and the resupply ship Gaoyouhu to participate, the ministry reported.
These annual exercises were also held in the Gulf of Oman on similar dates last year, and included the participation of Chinese forces from the guided missile destroyer Urumqi, the missile frigate Linyi and the supply ship Dongpinghu.
Last year's edition coincided with fighting by the Houthi rebels in Yemen against US and British warships in the Red Sea to "protect" navigation in the strategic route, through which it's estimated that around 15 per cent of the world's maritime trade passes.
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