According to the state news agency IRNA, an exercise on Friday served to ward off a hypothetical pirate attack on merchant ships. Iranian army spokesman Mustafa Tajeddini said naval and air units from the three countries had freed two merchant ships “kidnapped by pirates in international waters” during the exercise.
Attacks on oil tankers
There are repeated attacks of this kind in the region. In the fall, Somali pirates tried twice within two weeks to seize Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Aden.
In November, pirates attempted to capture an oil tanker en route to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. According to the Isna news agency, the Iranian military then fired warning shots. A similar incident happened in October. According to the Iranian Navy, this pirate attack was repelled by an Iranian warship.
The strait of Bab el-Mandeb is used by numerous oil tankers, which then sail to Europe through the Suez Canal. Eleven units of the Iranian Navy, three units of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Navy, three units from Russia and two units from China are involved in the current three-day maneuvers, which cover an area of 17,000 square kilometers.
Maneuvers during nuclear deal negotiations
The maneuvers were intended to improve “combat” capability, strengthen ties between naval units, ensure common security and improve the fight against maritime “terrorism,” Tajeddini said. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi expressed his determination to strengthen ties with Russia during a visit to Moscow on Wednesday.
The military exercises are taking place in Vienna at the same time as the current round of negotiations on the revival of the international nuclear agreement with Iran. China and Russia helped negotiate the 2015 deal.