Iran To Hold Naval Exercises With Russia,China

A day after US airstrikes on the Houthis in Yemen, Iran has said that it would host joint naval exercises with Russia and China by the end of the year.

Iran‘s navy chief Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said “This exercise will be carried out with the aim of protecting the security of the region and common interests.”

This will not be the first joint exercise for these countries. In March 2023, Russia, Iran and China held the Maritime Security Belt 2023 in the Gulf of Oman. Iran also held out a clear warning if the US attempted any strike on Iranian soil.

Foreign Ministry spokesman said his country “will not hesitate to respond” in such an event. “The Islamic Republic has shown that it has always reacted decisively to any threat to its security, territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

Earlier Iranian foreign minister Amir Abdollahian condemned the US air strikes. “You do not want to test the wrath of this region. We consider the security of Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Palestine to be the security of the region.”

The US has not reacted to Iran’s announcement but said it would step up its attack on Iranian-backed militias in West Asia. The airstrikes are just the beginning of a sustained response, the White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken who is on a tour of West Asia, met Saudi Arabia’s de-facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a bid to try and normalise Saudi ties with Israel. Blinken’s meeting with the Saudi leader lasted for about two hours

Blinken is also set to visit Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank this week in a bid to push through an Egyptian- and Qatari-mediated conversation with Palestinian Hamas militants on a deal to free Israeli hostages held in Gaza.