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

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.

30-day ceasefire ‘not a frozen conflict,’ Ukraine’s FM says

A 30-day ceasefire plan agreed upon between the U.S. and Ukraine “is not a frozen conflict” but the “beginning of the path toward a just peace,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on March 11.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek