Why it matters:
The drill showcases the military coordination between Tehran and Moscow amid regional tensions and the U.S. maritime presence near Iran, signaling a unified front in safeguarding key waterways, challenging the Western presence, and demonstrating a combined capability to respond to asymmetric threats like piracy.
The big picture:
By integrating Iran's army, IRGC, and Russian forces, the participants simulated a seamless, multi-domain response to a realistic security scenario, the seizure of commercial shipping.
Key points:
· The drill began with an emergency call from a simulated merchant vessel to Iran's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Bandar Abbas.
· An Iranian Navy SH-3D helicopter and an IRGC Bell 412 helicopter were the first to launch, conducting aerial reconnaissance of the target area.
· The Iranian frigate Alvand acted as the command ship, directing surface units to the scene.
· The final phase involved a coordinated assault by Iranian and Russian special operations forces, who boarded the vessel from air and sea, neutralized the "pirates," and successfully freed the ship.
Go Deeper:
Iran-Russia Naval Drills to Begin Tomorrow
S.Archin - Mojtaba Darabi
