2026-02-18 06:55
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2026-02-18 06:55
Iran, China and Russia have deployed their warships to the Strait of Hormuz, launching joint maritime exercises Maritime Security Belt 2026 as a response to the concentration of US naval and air forces in the region, Turkish Anadolu Agency reported on Tuesday.
China sent ships from the 48th Flotilla stationed at the base in Djibouti to these exercises, including the guided-missile destroyer Tangshan, the frigate Daqing and the supply ship Taihu. The inclusion of Tangshan, equipped with advanced radar systems and anti-ship missiles, proves that China is deploying units capable of conducting long-term operations away from bases, said the defense portal DefenseSecurityAsia.
Russia sent the frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov along with the tanker Boris Butoma.
Iranian naval forces are represented by ships of the Navy (NEDAJA) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including Jamaran-class frigates, Naghdi-class corvettes and fast cutters equipped with anti-ship missiles.
Initially scheduled for early March, Tehran has accelerated these exercises due to the tense situation in the Persian Gulf, where the United States has gathered a huge naval fleet, including two aircraft carriers with accompanying destroyers and a large air fleet.
Joint maneuvers by Iran, China and Russia were preceded by exercises with live ammunition of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps held on Monday in the Strait of Hormuz.
The first exercise called Maritime Security Belt was carried out in 2019, also on the initiative of the Iranian Navy, and has been held seven times since then.
Earlier, in January, the navies of these three countries, together with the South African Navy, organized the BRICS bloc naval exercises – Will for Peace 2026.
The Strait of Hormuz is the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean and is considered one of the most strategically important transshipment points in the world. Experts estimate that about a quarter of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) production passes through the strait on its way to world markets. (PAP)
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