Iran is all set to conduct joint naval exercises with China and Russia in the northern Indian Ocean region in this month (February).
According to Iranian media reports quoting Tasnim News Agency, the eighth edition of the joint drills, known as the “Maritime Security Belt,” will bring together naval units from the three countries amid elevated tensions with the US.
The exercise will involve units from Iran’s regular navy and the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), alongside naval forces from China and Russia, the report added.
The mid-February drills will be held in the northern Indian Ocean.
The “Maritime Security Belt” exercises were launched in 2019 at the initiative of Iran’s navy, Tasnim said. Seven previous editions of the joint drills have been held since then.
The drills come as tensions have escalated between Tehran and Washington in recent weeks, following US President Donald Trump’s statements that a “massive armada” was moving toward Iran, alongside his call for Tehran to “come to the table” for negotiations.
Iranian officials have warned that any US attack would draw a “swift and comprehensive” response while reiterating that Tehran remains open to talks only under what it describes as “fair, balanced, and noncoercive terms.”
Iran warns of decisive response if US attacks
Earlier, Iran warned United States of striking US bases and aircraft carriers decisively in response to any attack on the country.
According to AFP, the US President Donald Trump earlier threatened that time was running out for Tehran and the EU blacklisted its Revolutionary Guards as a terror group.
As Brussels and Washington dialled up their own rhetoric and Iran issued stark threats, UN chief Antonio Guterres called for nuclear negotiations to “avoid a crisis that could have devastating consequences in the region”.
An Iranian military spokesman warned Tehran’s response to any US action would not be limited as it was in June last year when American planes and missiles briefly joined Israel’s short air war against Iran, but would be a decisive response “delivered instantly”.
Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia told state television US aircraft carriers have “serious vulnerabilities” and that numerous American bases in the Gulf region are “within the range of our medium-range missiles”.
“If such a miscalculation is made by the Americans, it will certainly not unfold the way Trump imagines – carrying out a quick operation and then, two hours later, tweeting that the operation is over,” he said.
Rising tensions behind the statement
The message comes against a backdrop of long-running tensions between Washington and Tehran. Relations have been strained for years over Iran’s nuclear activities, economic sanctions, and the US military presence in the Middle East.
Efforts to revive or replace earlier nuclear agreements have repeatedly stalled. The US and its allies say Iran’s nuclear programme must remain strictly civilian, while Iran maintains that it is entitled to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
At the same time, incidents involving naval forces, regional proxy conflicts, and sanctions enforcement have kept tensions high.
Reactions and wider concerns
The tone of the White House post has drawn mixed reactions. A social media user at X said that Trump must strike hard at Iran and get freedom for its beautiful people. He also said that only Trump can do it, and no one else has enough courage to do so. He also attached the picture of Donald Trump in his post.
So far, Iranian officials have not issued a direct response to the post. Diplomatic channels remain open, though progress has been limited.
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