Iran and Russia will carry out joint naval maneuvers this Thursday in the Gulf of Oman and in the northern Indian Ocean, in a new demonstration of military cooperation between both countries that occurs after the last round of indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington in Geneva, and in the midst of a regional scenario marked by the deployment of US naval forces and by Iranian exercises in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The announcement was made by Vice Admiral Hassan Maqsudlu, spokesman for the exercises, who confirmed that “the navies of Iran and Russia will hold joint naval exercises tomorrow in the Gulf of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean.”
The Iranian high command specified that the objective of the operations is “to develop joint maritime cooperation and strengthen relations between the navies of both countries when designing and executing joint operations.”
According to the spokesperson, the activities will take place in the Sea of Oman and in adjacent areas of the Indian Ocean, without the Iranian regime having reported the exact duration of the exercises or the number of units involved.In statements released by Tehran’s propaganda media, Maqsudlu maintained that “the objective of these maneuvers is to strengthen maritime security and deepen relations between the navies of the two countries.”
The Russian-Iranian naval deployment occurs in parallel with exercises carried out earlier this week by the Revolutionary Guard of the Iranian regime in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.At that maritime passage, a key point for the movement of oil and natural gas globally, Tehran mobilized military units and announced the partial closure of the canal for several hours for security reasons.
“The objective is to demonstrate that Iran can respond to any threat and that the security of the strait is under national control,” Iranian military sources said.
The carrying out of these exercises coincides with a period of maximum tension in the region, marked by the strong presence of US forces in the Persian Gulf.
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has defined the deployment as an “army” aimed at responding to any provocation.Tehran has since stepped up its warnings about a possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the event of an escalation.
The Iranian regime maintains that these joint exercises seek to “guarantee maritime security” on routes that concentrate a significant part of world energy traffic, but also reinforce the signal of diplomatic and military rapprochement with Moscow.
The relationship between Russia and the Iranian regime has deepened in recent years, with the signing in January 2025 of a strategic partnership agreement that defines priorities in defense, energy and technological cooperation for the next two decades.
Moscow and Tehran have coordinated positions in international forums and maintain a collaboration agenda in Syria, in addition to sharing interests in the development of military capabilities.
For its part, the Russian navy seeks to consolidate its presence in warm waters and participate in exercises that allow it to project power outside its immediate environment.For Iran, cooperation with Russia represents an opportunity to counterbalance Western pressure and show its ability to respond to possible blockades or sanctions against it.
This week’s naval maneuvers take place in a context of indirect dialogues between Tehran and Washington on the Iranian nuclear program, mediated by Oman.Although Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi described the contacts as “constructive” and mentioned progress in guiding principles for an agreement, the United States maintains that Iran has not yet accepted all the conditions required to stop its nuclear development.
(With information from Europa Press and AFP)
