China, Russia, Iran to hold joint naval drills in Indian Ocean, Sea of Oman

China, Iran and Russia will hold joint naval drills starting on Friday in the Indian Ocean and Sea of Oman, China’s Defense Ministry said. Beijing will send the Xining, a guided missile destroyer, to the drills, which will last until Monday, and are meant to deepen cooperation between the three countries’ navies, according to ministry spokesman Wu Qian.

The maneuvers are a “normal military exchange” between the three armed forces and are in line with international law and practices, Reuters quoted Wu as saying. “It is not necessarily connected with the regional situation,” he also said on Thursday.

The Sea of Oman is a particularly sensitive waterway as it connects to the Strait of Hormuz – through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes – which, in turn, connects to the Arabian Gulf.

The drills are also coming at a time of fraught tensions between the US and Iran.