Iran, Russia Plan Joint Military Drills In Strait Of Hormuz
By Irina Slav -
Jul 30, 2019
Iran and Russia are planning a joint military drill in
the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, the Commander of the Iranian Navy,
Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi, told state news agency IRNA.
According to Khanzadi, the Iranian armed forces had
signed a contract for the drills with the Russian Ministry of Defense, but did
not say when the drills will be carried out.
In any case, the news clearly points towards a
continued warming of bilateral relations amid increasing U.S. pressure on both
countries, particularly Iran.
"A joint Russian-Iranian exercise is expected to
be held shortly in the Indian Ocean. The exercise may also be held in the
northern part of the Indian Ocean, including in the Strait of Hormuz,"
Khanzadi said as quoted by
Russia’s TASS agency, adding that the drills were a turning point in
Iranian-Russian military cooperation.
Meanwhile, The Express reports Britain’s new PM Boris Johnson was being pressured to invite
Russia and China to join the European fleet that he is seeking to form to
protect vessels in the Persian Gulf. If done, this would be a controversial
move in the UK, whose own relations with Russia are the opposite of friendly
and those with China are not exactly what one would call warm.
Yesterday, Reuters reported Iran had warned against European countries—France, Italy, and Denmark quick to
join the UK initiative—sending warships to the Persian Gulf.
"They (UK and US) want to bring the European war
fleet in the Persian Gulf, we think that such actions are provocative in the
current situation," a government spokesman told media. "It has a
hostile message. It will stir up tensions."
The fact that the news about the joint Iranian-Russian
drills in the Gulf came on the heels of that statement speaks for itself: if
Europe plans to present a united front against Iran, Iran has helped in facing
it.
By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
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