Last week, Iran, China, and Russia held a joint naval exercise, Maritime Security Belt 2025, in the northern Indian Ocean in cooperation to shore up endogenous security against foreign threats. The alliance has apparently agitated the U.S. president in a somewhat odd way.

Why it matters:

The joint naval exercise showcases the potential for alliances among nations facing common threats. Such collaboration can shift the balance of power in the region. It also represents a direct challenge to those states that are used to steal other countries' property amid routes and wars. 

 

Flashback:

It was amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 as the U.S. government's stealing medical supplies coming to Europe, such that the robbery was named a "modern piracy." The masks, made by the U.S. corporation 3M in its factory in Shanghai, China, were intercepted at Thailand's Bangkok Airport and instead went to the U.S.

 

State of play:

  • Ambitious Trump seeks to use the bully pulpit. Just as he came to power as the U.S. president-elect, he ignited a tariff war against the West and East. 
  • The megalomanic president even has claimed for Canada as the 51st state of America. 
  • The businessman wants 50% of the Ukrainian mines instead of ending the war the U.S. fueled in Europe. 
  • The U.S. debt and deficit situation deteriorated significantly within Donald Trump's first month in office.
  • By February, the budget shortfall had already exceeded $1 trillion, despite the fiscal year being far from its midpoint.

 

What they're saying:

Commander of Iran Navy Rear Admiral Sharam Irani: "Today, the number of actors in the maritime arena has grown in line with their capabilities. The number of countries with maritime strength, relying on their knowledge, has also grown. Yet, the presence is distinct because it aims to establish security. Those who oppose the presence have never brought security or peace; instead, they have consistently caused significant insecurity and posed threats to humanity."

Rear Admiral Alexei Sysoev, Russia's representative in the joint exercise: "Such an exercise has a very bright future. I am confident that the number of participants will increase because the region holds great importance for everyone, and only through a collective approach will we be able to establish security in the region."

Spokesman of the 2025 joint naval drills Lieutenant Admiral Mostafa Tajoddini: "The shared challenges of maritime threats and evolving political dynamics among nations have fostered greater collaboration among naval forces. This exercise aims to enhance combat readiness, achieve collective security, and facilitate the exchange of expertise in areas such as search and rescue, counterterrorism, and anti-piracy operations."


The bottom line:

For practicing more pressure on the world's independent countries, the U.S. wants them powerless. Naturally, Donald Trump gets crazy about the world's emerging powers and their joint efforts to get united against such a hollow bully, thus covering the U.S. vulnerability this way: "We have more power than all of them. I rebuilt the military. Unfortunately, Biden did nothing with it, but I rebuilt the military."
 

seyed mohammad kazemi