TEHRAN — Iran, Russia and China began their latest annual joint naval exercise on Monday — Security Belt-2025 — in the Gulf of Oman, near Iran's strategic port of Chabahar. 

These drills — the most recent was the fifth since 2019 — mark the growing military cooperation between the three nations, which are putting on display warships, support vessels and helicopters, focusing on maritime security, counter-piracy operations and search-and-rescue missions, according to Iran's state media. 

The deputy commander of the Iranian navy, Rear Adm. Mostafa Tajeddini, told the state broadcaster on Monday that the objective of Security Belt-2025 was to enhance security in the northern Indian Ocean through skill development and experience-sharing. "With its vast geography, the northern Indian Ocean calls for coalitions of like-minded countries with shared interests," he said. The exercise, the commander added, represents the seventh phase of coalition-building in the region, aiming to safeguard Iran's interests alongside its strategic allies. 

The presence of China's guided-missile destroyer Baotou, Russian corvettes and Iran's stealth missile corvette has largely been interpreted by Iranian authorities as enhanced military interoperability among the three nations.