WANA (Mar 12) – As part of the ongoing “Maritime Security Belt 2025” joint exercise, naval and aerial units from Iran, China, and Russia conducted a firefighting operation in the northern Indian Ocean.

 

Rear Admiral Mostafa Tajeddini, Deputy Operations Commander of the Iranian Navy, stated that the primary objective of the exercise is to enhance security and peace in the region. He added that in the latest phase of the drill, naval and aerial units from the three countries carried out a pre-planned firefighting and damage control operation on a commercial vessel.

 

During this phase, after an emergency distress signal was sent from a ship on fire, Iranian Navy helicopters conducted reconnaissance and search operations over the area. Subsequently, helicopters and naval vessels stationed in the region were dispatched to extinguish the fire and contain the damage.

 

Additionally, special operations teams from Iran, China, and Russia rehearsed a scenario involving the liberation of a hijacked vessel.

 

Upon receiving a distress signal from commercial ships relayed to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) in Chabahar, an Iranian SH-3D helicopter conducted aerial reconnaissance of the area.

 

The Iranian destroyer “Alvand”, serving as the command vessel for the exercise, then directed naval combat units in the region to carry out the rescue mission.

 

Special forces from the Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), alongside their Chinese and Russian counterparts, executed an airborne assault using heliborne and rappelling techniques to seize control of the hijacked vessel. The operation successfully resulted in the capture of the pirates and the safe release of the ship.

 

The drill also included the arrest of pirates, counter-sabotage measures to neutralize obstructions set up by hijackers to delay the rescue, medical aid for injured crew members, and the towing of the commercial vessel to a secure anchorage. All stages of the operation were completed successfully.

Special operations teams from Iran, China, and Russia rehearsed a scenario involving the liberation of a hijacked vessel in the joint naval drill. Social media/ WANA News Agency

 

The seventh edition of the Maritime Security Belt 2025 joint naval exercise commenced on Monday, March 10, 2025, featuring naval groups from Russia and China, along with observers from Azerbaijan, South Africa, Oman, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Qatar, Iraq, the UAE, and Sri Lanka.

 

The exercise is being conducted in the northern Indian Ocean with the participation of naval vessels from Iran’s Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

 

The drill aims to enhance maritime security and promote sustainable naval cooperation in the northern Indian Ocean while strengthening operational coordination among the Iranian Navy, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China, and the Russian Navy in planning and executing joint maritime operations.

 

Additionally, the exercise seeks to demonstrate the Iranian Navy’s presence and authority in international waters, improve the professional capabilities of its strategic naval forces in joint drills and training exercises, and expand the country’s maritime diplomacy efforts.