Iran, Russia to hold joint maritime drills in Persian Gulf

"Based on negotiations with the Russian Navy, the force will dispatch a fleet to the southern regions of Iran this year,” Iranian Army Commander, Navy R.-Adm. Hossein Khanzadi was quoted as saying, without giving a date for the drills.

In early January, Khanzadi said that the two countries were preparing for a joint naval drill in the Caspian Sea region and that the drill would focus on tactical, relief, rescue and anti-piracy issues.

 Earlier in the week, Iranian Defense Minister Brig.-Gen. Amir Hatami met with his Russian counterpart Gen. Sergey Shoygu on the sidelines of the 8th Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS) in the Russian capital.

According to the report, during the meeting the new general “renewed the two countries’ determination to bolster military and defense cooperation” and discussed bilateral relations in both regional and international areas.

 “Defense and security interactions between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia are growing under the auspices of the leaders of the two countries,” Hatami was quoted as saying, adding that the two countries “enjoy high capacities and potentials for increasing bilateral interactions” in military and defense.

Shoygu meanwhile stressed the continued military consultation between Tehran and Moscow and called for increased interactions between the two armed forces.

 “Cooperation and interaction of the two countries played an important role within the framework of the Astana Peace Talks in the fight against terrorism and the restoration of peace and security in Syria,” he was quoted as saying.

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