China, Russia and Iran put on show of force with Mideast naval drills

Warships from China, Russia, and Iran held live-fire exercises in the Middle East this week. The drills, near the Gulf of Oman, involved more than 20 ships and aimed to strengthen maritime cooperation and safeguard regional peace and stability. The exercises, in their sixth iteration since 2018, took place during heightened tensions in the region, with the Israel-Hamas conflict threatening to escalate into a wider regional conflict. The area covered by the exercises includes strategic straits in the northern Indian Ocean, crucial for global energy and trade traffic. Iran introduced new vessels armed with advanced domestically developed weaponry. The deepening ties between China and Russia have sparked concerns in the West.