Iran in recent years has stepped up its joint naval drills with Russia and China. Iran, Russia, and China displayed their close cooperation amid escalating tensions with the United States through the 2022 Marine Security Belt exercise in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The recent drill also projected a show of unity between the three countries against the West. Iran’s ambitions in the IOR are critical to its economy and military and its strategic partnerships with Russia and China focus predominantly on security cooperation. The ongoing naval drills reflect Russian and Chinese interests in the IOR and their geopolitical and strategic considerations in partnering with Iran.
The three countries began joint naval drills in 2019 and have continued to deepen their maritime cooperation. The number of visits between the naval representatives of Iran, Russia, and China have also increased in recent years and the nature and scope of maritime cooperation between the three countries have also expanded. The recent naval drills in the northern part of the IOR covered an area of 17,000 square kilometers and encompassed rescue operations, hijack rescue missions, surface-to-air firing exercises, and joint tactical manoeuvring. The destroyer Urumqi and the comprehensive supply ship Taihu along with shipborne helicopters participated in the drill from the Chinese side and the Russian side’s involvement included the Pacific Fleet’s task force comprising the missile cruiser Varyag, the large anti-submarine warfare ship Admiral Tributs,and the sea tanker Boris Butoma. Reports indicated that 11 Iranian vessels participated in the drill and as per the information released by the Iranian authorities some vessels and helicopters from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also participated in the joint drills. Rear Admiral Mostafa Tajoddini, the Iranian spokesperson for the drills said, “The purpose of this drill is to strengthen security and its foundations in the region, and to expand multilateral cooperation between the three countries to jointly support world peace, maritime security, and create a maritime community with a common future.” Tajoddini also said that the northern areas of the IOR remain of utmost strategic importance, and Iran, Russia, and China are keen son preserving security in important waterways including the Strait of Bab al-Mandab, Malacca, and Hormuz in order to safeguard their respective national interests.
The ongoing naval drills reflect four important aspects of evolving regional geopolitics and strategic considerations. Firstly, Iran over time has changed its tactics on the maritime front and has adopted guerrilla-style sea warfare tactics like sabotaging and taking vessels hostage. Amid increasing concerns over Iran’s activities in the Arabian Gulf, Tehran intends to project the strengthening ties as a response to the criticism levelled at it by the United States and its regional allies. To move through the Strait of Hormuz, ships need to pass through Iranian territorial waters, and Tehran has for a long time used this as an excuse to disrupt their free passage. Secondly, amid increasing tensions with the United States, Iran has often relied on building pressure by blocking vessels and disrupting their passage through strategic chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz. This reflects Iran’s assertiveness and intent to shake US maritime domination. The IRGC Navy Commander, Commodore Alireza Tangsiri underlined the full control of his forces over the movements of ships in the Strait of Hormuz. He said,“Today, in the strategic region of the Strait of Hormuz a control system is dominant so that any vessel that enters and exits the strait is fully monitored with superior intelligence.” Thirdly, in recent months tensions have escalated between Russia, China, and the United States over issues related to Ukraine and the South China Sea. The joint naval drills reflect the clash between the United States and Iran, Russia and China in the IOR which is a concern for the Biden administration. Fourthly, Iran’s agreements with Russia and China feature defense cooperation as an important element. Joint military exercises reflect the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s foreign policy approach of “Looking to the East” which is based on deepening defense cooperation with Russia and China. Moreover, Iran, Russia, and China intend to advance non-traditional security cooperation as they depend heavily on ocean shipping. As per reports, the deepening ties between Tehran and Beijing will help Iran to expand its energy exports and China can possibly utilize the oil partnership with Tehran to ensure energy security for which expanding its maritime outreach is crucial. Moreover, Russia and China understand Iran’s geostrategic significance and hence are likely to strengthen their naval cooperation with Tehran to further their collective influence in the region.
Drawing inferences from past scenarios, as the nuclear talks in Vienna proceed, Iran is likely to continue to create tensions across crucial maritime fronts and theaters of conflict to secure as many bargaining chips to leverage its position at the negotiating table.
