Iran, Russia, and China hold naval drills after Tehran rejects nuclear talks with US

Iran, Russia, and China are conducting an annual naval drill in the northern Indian Ocean. The joint military drill takes place just days after the Iranian regime rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s offer to renew talks about Tehran’s nuclear program. 

Iranian Navy Deputy Operations Commander Admiral Mustafa Tajaldini announced that the purpose of the large-scale joint drill was to strengthen military cooperation between the three countries and to secure naval routes. 

“The primary goal of this exercise is to enhance maritime security in the northern Indian Ocean and strengthen naval cooperation between the Iranian, Chinese, and Russian navies,” Tajaldini said, according to Tehran Times. 

“Our goal is to strengthen collective security, and we’ve invited Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) nations and regional countries to contribute to this effort,” the senior Iranian naval commander continued. He claimed that Iran, Russia and China are seeking to secure critical global routes such as the Hormuz, Bab el Mandeb and the Straits of Malacca. 

The naval exercise reportedly involves some 15 vessels, including combat ships, gunboats and supporting vessels, as well as naval helicopters. 

“The Russian side is represented by the Rezky and Russian Hero Aldar Tsydenzhapov corvettes, and the Pechenega tanker of the Pacific Fleet,” the Russian Defense Ministry stated.

Iran is considered a Middle Eastern military power while China and Russia rank among the world’s militarily most powerful nations.

However, Trump did not appear concerned about the Chinese-Russian-Iranian naval drill. 

“We’re stronger than all of them. We have more power than all of them,” the U.S president told Fox News aboard Air Force One. 

Trump recently confirmed that he had sent a letter to Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, offering to restart talks about Tehran’s clandestine nuclear program. 

"I said I hope you're going to negotiate, because it's going to be a lot better for Iran," Trump said. He has vowed not to permit the ayatollah regime to acquire nuclear weapons.

In February, Trump signed an executive order demanding “maximum pressure” on Iran in an effort to use economic and diplomatic pressure on the Iranian regime to give up its ambitions to develop nuclear weapons. 

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, recently declared that Tehran would not negotiate with the United States under “pressure and intimidation.” 

“We will NOT negotiate under pressure and intimidation. We will NOT even consider it, no matter what the subject may be,” Araghchi wrote in a post on 𝕏.

“We are now consulting with the E3 – and separately with Russia and China – on equal footing and mutual respect,” Araghchi continued, referring to the European powers Britain, France, and Germany. 

“The aim is to explore ways to build more confidence and more transparency on our nuclear energy program in return for the lifting of unlawful sanctions.”

International experts warn that Iran is nearing nuclear threshold after rejecting US talks, and amid joint drills with Russia and China.

Iran has developed close commercial and military ties with China and Russia. The fragile Iranian economy is highly dependent on Iranian oil exports mainly to China. 

Earlier this week, Israeli Ambassador to Russia Simona Halperin criticized a new agreement between Russia and Iran.

“Iran is a country that has openly and publicly stated many times its intention to destroy Israel," Halperin said in an interview with the Russian news agency TASS. 

“Any cooperation aimed at developing Iran’s ability to realize those intentions, or any agreement intended to strengthen Iran’s economic, strategic, or military capabilities, is dangerous for the entire world and particularly for Israel,” the Israeli envoy warned.