Iran, Russia hold joint military drill in Arabian Sea

Iranian and Russian navies launched Tuesday a joint military exercise in the Arabian Sea and north of the Indian Ocean, according to Iran's state television.

The joint maritime drill, codenamed "Marine Security Belt", will last for two days.

The spokesperson of the exercise, Rear Admiral Gholam Reza Tehani, said the exercise, which was launched with the slogan of "Collective Cooperation for Maritime Trade Security", will cover a large area of 17,000 kilometers in the north of the Indian Ocean and in the Arabian Sea.

"The main objectives of the exercise are strengthening the security of international maritime trade, combating piracy, maritime terrorism, sharing information in search and rescue fields, and transfer of experience in tactical operations," Tehani said.

The exercise involves naval units from the Iranian Army and the Revolutionary Corps, as well as a destroyer, a logistics support ship and a helicopter from Russian army, he said.

A similar exercise was held in the same region in December 2019 by Iranian, Russian and Chinese navies.