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Russia, China, Iran hold joint naval drills in Gulf of Oman

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Russia, China, Iran hold joint naval drills in Gulf of Oman
Iranian, Chinese, and Russian naval forces during a joint military exercise in the Indian Ocean on March 15, 2023. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Iranian Army / Getty Images)

China, Iran, and Russia conducted joint naval drills on March 11 in the Gulf of Oman, Iran's state-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported.

The exercises, named Maritime Security Belt 2025, were held near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route through which a fifth of the world's traded crude oil passes.

China, Iran, and Russia have maintained close ties, with Beijing and Tehran supporting Moscow's war effort despite Western sanctions.

The latest drills come as Russia deepens military cooperation with Iran, which has supplied Moscow with thousands of Shahed attack drones used in strikes against Ukraine. China has become Russia's largest supplier of dual-use goods — components that can be used in weapons production.

The three countries have carried out similar exercises in past years, including in 2023 and 2024.

The latest joint drills highlight ongoing coordination between the three authoritarian regimes as divisions grow in the West over U.S. President Donald Trump's foreign policy shifts, including reduced military commitments in Europe.

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Tim Zadorozhnyy

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Tim Zadorozhnyy is a reporter at The Kyiv Independent, covering foreign policy, U.S.-Ukraine relations, and political developments across Europe and Russia. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations and European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa, working there for two years from the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. After relocating to Warsaw, he spent a year and a half at the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, initially as a news anchor and later as managing editor.

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