Russia, China and Iran will soon hold another joint maritime military exercise, located in the northern Indian Ocean. Some analysts believe that this three-nation military exercise will be used to engage in political propaganda hype and send signals to their opponents as Russia and China continue their military confrontation with some Western countries.
Another military exercise in the northern Indian Ocean in a few days
Russian Ambassador to Iran Dzhagaryan said on Feb. 8 that the Russian, Chinese and Iranian navies will hold another trilateral joint naval exercise in the northern Indian Ocean in mid-February. He said Life-saving at sea will be practiced, and the three navies will coordinate with each other as well as protect the safety of navigation at sea.
The Russian, Chinese and Iranian navies first held a joint trinational maritime exercise in late December 2019. At that Time, the exercise was also held in the northern part of the Indian Ocean, near the Gulf of Oman.
Russian Ambassador Dzhagaryan did not further reveal the size of the force for this joint trinational maritime exercise to be held soon. In the last joint exercise, Russia and China each sent a small fleet of warships and supply ships, with the Russian ships coming from the smaller Baltic Fleet.
One year later, the international situation continues to change, and Russia and China are using military exercises to sell weapons?
Russia is holding a second joint maritime military exercise with China and Iran only a year later, just as the international situation has undergone another series of changes in the course of the year. After the termination of the UN arms embargo against Iran in late October last year, there is particular interest in how Russia, China and Iran will interact in the future in the field of arms trading, and whether Russia and China will use the military exercises as an opportunity to sell weapons and equipment to Iran.
Russian and Iranian officials have been interacting frequently recently. Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif visited Moscow more than two weeks ago. A Russian delegation led by Slutsky, chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs of the Lower House, also visited Tehran last August. Russia likewise continues to help with the construction of units at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant.
How the Biden administration handles the Iranian nuclear issue and the future direction of U.S.-Iran relations is also a focal point in international politics today.
Military Confrontation from East to West and Arctic
Meanwhile, military confrontations between Russia, China and some Western countries continue. Russian and Chinese strategic bombers held another strategic cruise in the East China Sea and elsewhere more than two months ago. Chinese military aircraft of various sizes are continuing to fly around Taiwan.
The U.S. Nimitz carrier battle group has been redeployed to the Indo-Pacific region, thus creating a situation where three U.S. carrier battle groups are gathered in the Indo-Pacific. In the South China Sea, two U.S. carrier battle groups, Nimitz and Roosevelt, have also held joint exercise activities. In addition, Britain and France will also send their warships to the Indo-Pacific region.
In the Arctic, the Tu-160 strategic bomber, Russia’s premier airborne strategic nuclear strike force, has just completed an Arctic cruise. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Feb. 9 that two Tu-160 strategic bombers conducted a 12-hour cruise of the Barents Sea, Greenland and Norwegian waters.
Just about a week ago, the U.S. sent a fleet of more than 200 ground support personnel and four B-1B strategic bombers to Norway for a temporary deployment. In the coming weeks, the U.S. strategic bomber fleet will hold a series of joint exercises with the Norwegian Air Force. Some analysts of Russian armament issues say the B-1B’s enormous range and deterrent power can cover the Arctic, including even most of the Russian mainland in depth.
The threat from Russia is felt to be growing in the European region in the wake of the Ukraine crisis. Ukraine accuses Russia of now turning the annexed Crimean peninsula into an arsenal and has a large military presence on the retreat. Russia has also significantly strengthened its military presence in the western enclave of Kaliningrad, which is surrounded by NATO countries. On Russia’s borders with the Baltic states, Russia’s borders with Ukraine, and Belarus’s borders with Lithuania, Russia, as well as Russia and Belarus on the one hand and NATO members and Ukraine on the other, have been conducting various military exercises against each other in recent years.
Military exercises as a means of response, with great political and propaganda significance
Against this backdrop, Russia’s second joint maritime exercise with China and Iran is seen as another signal to rival countries. Some Russian political scholars and analysts of armament issues say that while the military content of similar exercise activities is present, it is the political significance and propaganda component that is more prominent.
With the Putin administration’s jailing of Navalny and a tougher crackdown on domestic opposition, coupled with increasing attention to numerous incidents such as hacking, Russia could face a new wave of sanctions from the European Union and the United States. Closer alliance with China, especially in the military sphere, therefore becomes a way for Putin’s authorities to respond.
In the context of Russia’s turn toward China, Russian political scientist Salin said, things like maritime military exercises, interaction between top leaders and so on, will be hyped up.
I think these events will be very symbolic and important this year,” Salin said. The official media and others will not miss the opportunity to cover this extensively and widely.”
But some Russian scholars on Iran also believe that Tehran may need such a military exercise the most, as Iran may gain more from the joint military exercises of the three countries. They warn that because the Iranian regime was considered a member of the axis of evil years ago and is also suspected of supporting terrorism, Iran, which belongs to the Shiite sect, has long been isolated in the Muslim world, and Russia’s too close to Iran and too hot relations could all put Russia’s diplomacy and international image at more risk.
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