{"id":119797,"date":"2025-03-13T17:00:59","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T15:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=119797"},"modified":"2025-03-13T10:53:50","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T08:53:50","slug":"13-00-102","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=119797","title":{"rendered":"ran\u2019s Growing Military Ties With China, Russia Present a \u2018Danger\u2019 to US and Israeli Security, Experts Warn"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>ran\u2019s Growing Military Ties With China, Russia Present a \u2018Danger\u2019 to US and Israeli Security, Experts Warn<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Ailin Vilches Arguello<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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A Chinese warship sails during the joint navy exercise of Iran, China, and Russia in the Gulf of Oman, Iran, March 12, 2025. Photo: Iranian Army\/WANA (West Asia News Agency)\/Handout via REUTERS<\/span><\/p>\n

Expanding military cooperation between Iran, China, and Russia presents a rising threat to the US and its allies in the Middle East,\u00a0especially Israel<\/a>, according to experts who spoke with\u00a0The Algemeiner<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The warning came as Iran, China, and Russia on Wednesday concluded three days of joint naval drills in Iranian territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, located in the northern Indian Ocean, bolstering defense cooperation as tensions in the Middle East mount over Tehran\u2019s expanding nuclear program and terrorist proxies across the region.<\/span><\/p>\n

The joint drills \u2014 called the Maritime Security Belt 2025 \u2014 also took place near the strategic Strait of Hormuz off southeast Iran, a critical passageway for global energy supplies through which a fifth of all crude oil traded worldwide passes. Iran has previously threatened to close the waterway if conflict breaks out with the US and Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Jack Burnham, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a Washington, DC-based think tank, such joint drills will allow the three authoritarian regimes to become more interoperable with each other while gaining valuable experience operating in a strategically sensitive environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

This week\u2019s joint naval exercise was the fifth conducted by Iranian, Chinese, and Russian military forces since 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe most recent iteration of these naval drills between Iran, China, and Russia highlights these capitals\u2019 growing ties during a period of international turmoil,\u201d Burnham told\u00a0The Algemeiner<\/em>. \u201cIn recent months,\u00a0Russia and Iran have cemented closer defense ties<\/a>, China has allegedly shipped missile components to Iran and its proxies, and China and Russia celebrated the anniversary of the Ukraine war by reaffirming their \u2018no limits\u2019 partnership.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He also explained that such cooperation will allow the Iranian, Chinese, and Russian militaries to feel more comfortable operating together if a regional crisis emerges, adding that joint exercises may eventually lead to\u00a0other forms of defense cooperation<\/a>, \u201csuch as transferring cutting-edge military technologies between authoritarian states bent on challenging the West.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor Israel and for the region, the possibility of Iran and its proxies strengthening their already-comprehensive arsenals via access to Chinese and Russian weapons components presents a clear danger to its security,\u201d Burnham said.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Iranian state media, this week\u2019s joint drills featured warships and combat and support vessels from the Chinese and Russian navies, as well as warships from Iran\u2019s naval forces, including both the regular military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an internationally designated terrorist organization.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Iranian Navy\u2019s deputy head of operations, Rear Admiral Mostafa Tajeddini, said these exercises aimed to \u201cstrengthen security in the region and expand\u00a0multilateral cooperation between participating countries<\/a>,\u201d with the main goal of enhancing maritime security in the northern Indian Ocean, the Iranian state news agency\u00a0IRNA<\/em>\u00a0reported.<\/span><\/p>\n

The naval drills were monitored by observers from Azerbaijan, South Africa, Oman, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Qatar, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and Sri Lanka who traveled to Tehran.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a statement, the Chinese Defense Ministry said the drills aimed at \u201cenhancing military trust and strengthening practical cooperation,\u201d including simulated strikes on maritime targets, visit-board-search-seizure operations, and search and rescue missions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both China and Russia have had deep interests in Iran as a partner in the Middle East.\u00a0Beijing has continued to purchase Iranian crude oil<\/a>\u00a0despite Western sanctions and remains one of the top markets for Iranian imports. Meanwhile,\u00a0Russia has relied on Iran for<\/a>\u00a0the supply of bomb-carrying drones used in its war on Ukraine.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to John Lee, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, a Washington, DC-based think tank, cooperation between China, Russia, and Iran has evolved from primarily political, diplomatic, and economic coordination to increasingly include military elements over the past half decade.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSuch exercises indicate that these three countries are preparing to work together across multiple potential conflict zones from the Middle East and Persian Gulf to Eastern Europe to Northeast Asia,\u201d Lee told\u00a0The Algemeiner<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat they are practicing tactical strikes against sea-based targets as well as search and seizure operations is a simulation of what would be needed during a hot war with the US and its allies,\u201d he continued.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lee also explained that these three countries are united by their goal of undermining American power, with\u00a0Iran trying to weaken Israel<\/a>\u00a0and disrupt stability in the Persian Gulf, Russia aiming to challenge NATO and expand into Eastern Europe, and China focused on integrating Taiwan and controlling the South China Sea.<\/span><\/p>\n

With Iran seeking to coerce and gain leverage by\u00a0disrupting shipping in the Persian Gulf<\/a>, Lee argued that US hard power and influence are the key factors preventing these objectives from being realized.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn a war scenario, the Persian Gulf and other choke points such as the Gulf of Aden become of immense strategic and tactical importance,\u201d Lee said. \u201cDeeper cooperation with Russia and China could allow Iran to exert its presence and influence in these bodies of water.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s growing ties with China and Russia come at a time when\u00a0Tehran is facing increasing sanctions by the United States<\/a>, particularly on its oil industry, as part of the\u00a0Trump administration\u2019s \u201cmaximum pressure\u201d campaign<\/a>\u00a0aimed at cutting the country\u2019s crude exports to zero and preventing it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though Tehran has denied wanting to develop a nuclear weapon, the UN nuclear watchdog \u2013 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) \u2013 has\u00a0warned that Iran is \u201cdramatically\u201d accelerating<\/a>\u00a0uranium enrichment to up to 60 percent purity, close to the roughly 90 percent weapons-grade level.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Wednesday, the\u00a0UN Security Council met<\/a>\u00a0behind closed doors to discuss Tehran\u2019s nuclear program and its obligation to provide the IAEA with \u201cthe information necessary to clarify outstanding issues related to undeclared nuclear material detected at multiple locations in Iran,\u201d diplomat told Reuters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tehran has repeatedly claimed that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes rather than weapon development.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, Western states have said there is no \u201ccredible civilian justification\u201d for the country\u2019s recent nuclear activity, arguing it \u201cgives Iran the capability to rapidly produce sufficient fissile material for multiple nuclear weapons.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Last week, Iran\u2019s so-called \u201csupreme leader,\u201d Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said\u00a0Tehran will not be bullied into negotiations<\/a>\u00a0after US President Donald Trump revealed he had sent a letter to the country\u2019s top authority to negotiate a nuclear deal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last month, Iranian Foreign Minister\u00a0Abbas Araghchi rejected the possibility of nuclear talks with Washington<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be no possibility of direct talks between us and the United States on the nuclear issue as long as the maximum pressure is applied in this way,\u201d Araghchi said during a joint press conference with his visiting Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.<\/span><\/p>\n

China will hold a meeting on Friday in Beijing with Russia and\u00a0Iran\u00a0<\/span>on the\u00a0Iran<\/span>ian \u201cnuclear issue\u201d, its foreign ministry said at a press conference, further highlighting the growing cooperation between the three powers.<\/span><\/p>\n

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ran\u2019s Growing Military Ties With China, Russia Present a \u2018Danger\u2019 to US and Israeli Security, Experts Warn Ailin Vilches Arguello A Chinese warship sails during the joint navy exercise of Iran, China, and Russia in the Gulf of Oman, Iran, March 12, 2025. Photo: Iranian Army\/WANA (West Asia News Agency)\/Handout via REUTERS Expanding military cooperation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[26,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119797"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=119797"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119797\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119810,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119797\/revisions\/119810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=119797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=119797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=119797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}