MOSCOW, March 14. /TASS/. The Russian, Iranian and Chinese navies have wrapped up their joint drills dubbed Maritime Security Belt 2025 in Iran’s Chabahar port, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Friday.
"A closing ceremony of the international naval exercise Maritime Security Belt 2025 took place at the port of Chabahar in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The drills involved groups of ships of the Russian Navy, the Iranian Army Navy and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy. The Russian side was represented by the crews of the corvettes Rezky and Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov and the crew of the medium sea tanker Pechenga from the Pacific Fleet," the ministry said in a statement.
The Maritime Security Belt 2025 drills consisted of the sea and coastal components. In the Gulf of Oman, the ships from the navies of the three countries practiced searching for and freeing seized vessels and conducted firings at sea and air targets. The naval groups, helicopter crews and special operations forces acted jointly in inspecting suspicious vessels and freeing them from notional terrorists, it specified.
During the coastal stage of the drills at the Iranian port of Chabahar, the commanders of the naval ships and the field headquarters scrutinized the maritime stage of the exercise and took part in official meetings, the ministry said.
The international naval maneuvers Maritime Security Belt organized by the Iranian side have been held for the seventh time. They were held for the first time in the waters of the Arabian Sea in the Indian Ocean in 2018. Combat ships from the Russian, Chinese and Iranian navies participate in the maneuvers on a constant basis. This year, the naval exercise brought together about 15 ships, support vessels and gunboats, and also naval aviation helicopters.
The drills aim to ensure maritime security, counter piracy and terrorism at sea and protect sea lanes.