Earlier in the day, Iran’s regular army announced that the joint exercise, named Maritime Safety Belt, would begin this Tuesday.

“They [the drill] have already begun today,” embassy spokesman Maxim Suslov said, commenting on the matter.

The drill’s goal is to boost the security in the northern segment of the Indian Ocean and expand cooperation between the two countries.

Meanwhile, a Russian flotilla, comprising the Stoiky corvette and KoLa refueling ship, entered Iran’s territorial waters for the 2021 combined naval exercise.

The flotilla was welcomed on Tuesday by two vessels belonging to the navies of the Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

After the welcoming ceremony, Russian commanders were transferred to Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar, southeast Iran, where they attended a briefing and coordination meeting.

Admiral Gholamreza Tahani, the spokesman for the naval drill, said during a joint press conference with the commander of the Russian flotilla that the maneuver will be held in an area of 17,000 square kilometers north of the Indian Ocean.

One of the goals of the exercise is to increase the skills of the personnel in naval aid and rescue operations, he added.

During the drill, Tahani further said, the navies of the Iranian Army and the IRGC will interact with each other on the establishment of maritime trade security in international seas and practice command and control operations.

“The most important message of this exercise is peace and friendship for neighboring countries and those in the region,” he said. “Iran, in the 43rd year after the [1979 Islamic] Revolution’s glorious victory, has reached a level of maturity in maritime science and technology that it is hosting world powers a second time for a combined drill.”

Referring to the strategic importance of the North Indian Ocean region, he added, “The North Indian Ocean is one of the most important and strategic waterways in the world and plays an important role in world trade and shipping.”

He cited the security of sea lanes in the northern Indian Ocean as one of the most important goals of the combined exercise, saying, “The security of shipping lines in this region, especially in the area between the Strait of Hormuz, the Malacca Strait and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, guarantees the preservation of economic interests on the world stage, which requires the cooperation and convergence of different navies.”

Stating that the 2021 Iran-Russia  combined naval exercise is of special importance, Tahani said, “Many countries navigate the Oman Sea and the Indian Ocean, which are key areas of world trade, and therefore maintaining maritime security is crucial.”

The spokesperson highlighted that improving combat readiness, achieving collective security, and exchanging experience in the field of counter-terrorism and piracy are important goals of this exercise.

“The training of information and security exchange at sea and rescuing the hijacked ship are among the most important operations which will be carried out in this exercise,” he noted.

Also speaking on Tuesday, Iran’s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said the drill is aimed at achieving collective security in the region which will help sustain security in the northern Indian Ocean.

“Since last year, a series of combined maritime security exercises have been held with the participation of regional and world countries …. In the drill, which began today, the Russian Navy has joined the exercise site and the Indian Navy will also participate,” he added.

Iranian-Russian ‘Marine Security Belt’ drills are underway with the slogan “Collective Cooperation at Sea for the Security of Maritime Trade” in a 17,000-kilometer area with a message of peace and friendship.

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The Iranian Army’s press office reported earlier on Monday that Iran and Russia would begin joint naval drills in the northern part of the Indian Ocean on February 16.

“The Iranian-Russian ‘Marine Security Belt’ drills will begin in the northern portion of the Indian Ocean tomorrow,” the press office said in a statement.

A senior Iranian military official said the joint naval drill with Russia is aimed at contributing to maritime security and combating piracy and terrorism.

The spokesperson of the joint Iranian-Russian naval drill Rear Admiral Gholamreza Tahani on Monday said that the joint drill will be held with the slogan “Collective Cooperation at Sea for the Security of Maritime Trade” in a 17,000-kilometer area with a message of peace and friendship.

“In addition to surface and flight units of the Iran Army Navy and IRGC Navy, Russian floating units consisting of the Stoiky destroyer, a KoLa logistics ship and a helicopter are present at the exercise,” he added.

The spokesperson highlighted, “The purpose of holding this exercise is to strengthen security and its foundations in the region and to expand bilateral cooperation between the two countries.”

“A variety of tactical exercises such as rescuing a floating vessel from fire, releasing an attacked vessel, shooting at specific targets, shooting at air targets at night, and other tactical and operational exercises are foreseen in this exercise,” Rear Admiral Tahani said.

“The strengthening of the security of international maritime trade, combating piracy and maritime terrorism, exchanging information in the field of maritime rescue, as well as exchanging operational and tactical experiences are the objectives of the exercise,” he noted.

Earlier, the Deputy Coordinator of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army said that the joint naval drill with Russia demonstrates the naval authority of Iran’s Armed Forces.

In late December 2019, Iran, Russia and China held joint naval drills in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman. The maneuvers lasted four days.

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“Iran’s Navy is at the level of the world naval powers in terms of equipment, manpower, technique and tactics, command and control, communication and access to new equipment,” he added.

According to Admiral Sayyari, the joint exercise is aimed at establishing security in the North Indian Ocean.

Referring to the various threats of extra-regional countries from the beginning of the Islamic Revolution until today, he said, “Our country has been facing many threats since the first days of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, and the enemies have put forward various plans in this regard, all of which have failed.”

Sayyari said that the reason for the failure of the enemies’ plans is the authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the deterrent power of the Armed Forces of the country, adding, “The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially the Army, with regard to its mission of maintaining territorial integrity and independence, has achieved authority and dignity and will definitely respond to the threats of enemies.”

Russian Ambassador to Iran Levan Dzhagaryan announced last week that Russian, Iranian, and Chinese naval drills will be held in the Indian Ocean in mid-February.

It is planned to work out interaction during search and rescue operations and measures to ensure the safety of navigation, Dzhagaryan told to RIA Novosti.

The latest naval drills were held at the end of December 2019.

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Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on Tuesday sent a message of sympathy to Iranian Army Commander Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi over the martyrdom of Navy forces in the fatal Konarak incident in the country’s southeastern waters.

The Leader said the tragic accident involving Konarak vessel that resulted in the martyrdom of a number of Navy servicemen has been “very bitter and regrettable”.

“Although the hardworking servicemen who have died in the course of hard duty will gloriously benefit from divine reward, God willing, the grief at the loss of the beloved ones for their families and the damage of loss of the sincere hardworking young forces to the Force (Navy) is so huge and heavy,” Ayatollah Khamenei underlined.

Offering condolences to the bereaved families of the victims of the accident and praying for the recovery of the injured, the Leader ordered the relevant authorities to “shed light on the dimensions of the incident, identify the ones possibly at fault, and make the necessary arrangements to prevent a recurrence of such damaging and bitter incidents.”

Nineteen Navy servicemen were martyred in the accident involving ‘Konarak’ light support vessel on Sunday evening, May 10, when a number of vessels were carrying a naval training exercise off the coasts of Jask and Chabahar.

Fifteen Navy forces were also wounded in the incident.

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TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said Iran is seeking to stage joint naval drills in the Caspian Sea with regional countries, following the recent successful drill with Russia and China in the Indian Ocean and the Sea of Oman.

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Iran, Russia, and China started a naval wargame, codenamed “Marine Security Belt”, in the Sea of Oman and the north of the Indian Ocean on Friday morning that will last for four days.

Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari’s remarks came in a news-analytic conference to explain the specifications of the large-scale drill.

The joint military exercise is viewed by some analysts as a show of power and solidarity between Iran and the great powers of China and Russia in the face of pressure by Washington.

Some media in Iran referred to the war game as a “show of power by the Easterners”.

“We can restore security to the region, so, there is no need to alien forces’ presence in our region,” underscored Sayyari who was Navy chief until November 2017.

“In the current drill we will definitely realize a method on which we will count in our next trilateral wargames,” the commander pointed out.

“The ongoing drills have been staged to show the might of the Army’s naval force in the region as well as the world,” Sayyari said.

He further highlighted the importance of the northern part of the Indian Ocean which is located between the three straits of Hormuz, Bab al Mandab, and Malaga, saying, “Iran enjoys 1,000 kilometers of maritime border overlooking the northern Indian Ocean, therefore deployment of the Iranian forces to the Macran coasts is completely justifiable.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the commander said, “Before the Islamic revolution in 1979, our navy was a force inside the territorial waters, but now we are hosting two world powers’ naval forces.”

Iranian navy has escorted almost 5,000 trade vessels 

Sayyari went on to say that the Iranian navy has thus far managed to escort approximately 5,000 trade vessels and tankers, adding, “The navy, meantime, has staged 30 rescue operations to save in-danger international vessels.”

“Iran has proved our naval might to the world, that is why the naval forces of the two world powers of Russia and China have come to our region to take part in a large-scale wargame under Iran’s command,” Sayyari stated.

The commander said, “As we proved in the previous drills, we won’t allow anybody to approach to the wargame’s operational region for spying.”

Sayyari said that the current drill is only a joint operation and the navies participating in the drill do not intend to form a coalition. “However,” he said, “the U.S. has always been trying to pretend the region as unsafe to pave the ground for forming a coalition.”

On Friday, Rear Admiral Gholamreza Tahani, the deputy commander of the Iranian Navy, said the exercise will cover 17,000 square kilometers and consist of “various tactical exercises,” which include target practice and rescuing ships from assaults and fires.

“Since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, it is the first time that the country has staged such a large-scale drill participated with two huge naval powers in the world,” Tahani stated.

Tahani said certainly those countries that share security, economic, political, and defense interests try to restore collective security in the region together.

“Reinvigoration of international maritime trade, countering piracy, exchange of information and experiences in various fields including maritime rescue and relief are among the main objectives of the drill,” Tahani added.

Rear Admiral Tahani said peace, friendship and sustainable security under collective unity and cooperation are the main messages of the current naval drill.

“The message of this exercise is peace, friendship and lasting security through cooperation and unity … and its effect will be to show that Iran cannot be isolated.”

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