Iran,
China, and Russia will hold in the coming weeks their first-ever joint war
drills, which leaders say are meant to send a "message to the world" about
increased military cooperation between the rogue countries.
The
commander of Iran's navy, Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi, said Wednesday that
the Islamic Republic will team up with Moscow and Beijing within the next month
to hold the mass war drills.
"When
we talk about joint wargames, we are talking about two or more countries with a
high level of relations in various political, economic and social fields, which
culminate in cooperation in the military sector, with wargames usually being
the highest level of such cooperation," Khanzadi was quoted as saying in
remarks to Iran's state-controlled press.
"A
joint wargame between several countries, whether on land, at sea, or in the
air, indicates a remarkable expansion of cooperation among them," the
military leader said.
The
joint war drills will be aimed at sending a message to the world, particularly
Western nations, like the United States, that have sought to constrain Iran's
expanding military ambitions.
"The
joint wargame between Iran, Russia, and China, which will hopefully be
conducted next month, carries the same message to the world, that these three
countries have reached a meaningful strategic point in their relations, with
regard to their shared and non-shared interests, and by non-shared I mean the
respect we have for one another’s national interests," Khanzadi was quoted
as saying.
The
Iranian military leader emphasized the importance of performing military drills
in the sea, where the Islamic Republic has been particularly troublesome for
Western nations. Iranian naval vessels routinely harass American military ships
and have played a role in various sabotage efforts aimed at disrupting
international shipping lanes.
"The
wargame seeks to deliver this message to the world that any kind of security at
sea must include the interests of all concerned countries. We do not condone
the kind of security that only caters to the benefits of one specific country
at a specific time and which disregards the security of others," Khanzadi
said. "Seas, which are used as a platform for conducting global commerce,
cannot be exclusively beneficial to certain powers.
Adam Kredo is
senior writer reporting on national security and foreign policy matters for the
Washington Free Beacon. An award-winning political reporter who has broken news
from across the globe, Kredo’s work has been featured in the Wall Street
Journal, the Weekly Standard, Commentary Magazine, the Drudge Report, and the
Jerusalem Post, among many others. His Twitter handle is @Kredo0. His email
address is kredo@freebeacon.com.
