Iran: Zolfaqar 1403 Joint Military Exercise

Iran commenced the large-scale Zolfaqar 1403 Joint Military Exercise on Saturday, spanning the Makran coasts, the Sea of Oman, and the northern Indian Ocean up to the 10-degree latitude.

Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, overseeing the maneuvers, stated the exercise aims to bolster Iran's defensive capabilities and deterrent power against potential threats.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Rear Admiral Sayyari said, "As part of the annual military exercises of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the main phase of the Zolfaqar 1403 joint exercise will commence tomorrow..."

The exercise, operating under the slogan "Sustainable Security and Power," will involve elements from the Ground Forces, Air Defense Forces, Air Force, and the Strategic Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, along with the Joint Air Defense Headquarters of Khatam al-Anbiya.

Rear Admiral Sayyari emphasized the deterrent nature of the drill, stating, "The purpose of conducting this exercise is to enhance the defensive capabilities and deterrent power of the sacred Islamic Republic of Iran against any land, air, or sea threats. Any enemy that thinks it can harm our territorial integrity or our interests on land, in the air, or at sea will certainly know that it will suffer significant consequences."

The exercise will serve as a testing ground for new military tactics and weaponry, including the evaluation of "new, smart, precise, and guided munitions, as well as various types of missiles."

The Zolfaqar 1403 exercise follows almost two months of nationwide military drills involving various units of the Armed Forces. The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Ground Force recently concluded the second round of its own maneuvers in Iran’s southwestern regions, where forces practiced fending off a potential attack in the Persian Gulf, while also unveiling various new drones, missiles, and defense systems.

 

 

Persian Gulf needs homegrown security

Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed troops, has criticized the deployment of foreign military troops in the region and emphasized the necessity for the Persian Gulf governments to work together to secure the region.

In a meeting with Commander of Royal Army of Oman Major General Matar bin Salim bin Rashid al Balushi, General Baqeri said, “We believe that the security of the Persian Gulf region must be provided through interaction and cooperation among the regional countries.”

The Iranian commander emphasized the nations of the Persian Gulf are capable of ensuring regional security without the presence or involvement of foreigners.

He also underscored the armed forces of Iran and Oman’s operational, intelligence and training competence, saying that the two nations’ mutual experience-sharing will help improve regional security.

Inviting the Omani navy forces to participate in the Marine Security Belt naval exercises, General Baqeri also praised Oman’s regional initiatives.

Omani commander called for strengthening military ties between Tehran and Muscat.

General Salim bin Rashid al Balushi cited Oman’s initiative to strengthen connections with neighbors and noted that communications have become even more important due to Oman and Iran’s connectivity in the Strait of Hormuz.

High-level military officials from Iran and Oman signed a memorandum of understanding in April 2019 to expand military cooperation.

In recent years, the two friendly neighbors have conducted a number of joint naval exercises.

In May, the Iranian Armed Forces chief of staff paid a visit to Oman to have discussions about fostering regional security, cooperation, and peace.

Major General Baqeri slammed the presence of foreign troops in the region and asserted that collaboration between Tehran and Muscat would enhance regional security.

The general also said, “The joint actions by Iran and Oman can improve security and demonstrate that outsiders are not required in the region.”

Baqeri noted that the multipolar world order and the transfer of power from the West to Asia have an impact on West Asia and emphasized the need for closer military cooperation to maintain security in the Strait of Hormuz, the Sea of Oman, and the northwestern regions of the Indian Ocean.

The commander then praised Oman for its sensible foreign policy toward the Yemen issue, emphasizing that more work must be done to establish a fair peace and safeguard Yemen’s territorial integrity.

Iran working to get frozen assets released

The Iranian government is making efforts to repatriate its frozen assets in some countries, including Japan, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated on Monday.

Speaking to reporters in a regular news briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani emphasized that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had also discussed the matter of the financial claims on the sidelines of the October 2022 United Nations General Assembly session in New York.

He continued by pointing out that the Japanese government has frequently stated that it is willing to pay off its obligations and that it is now making an effort to do so.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian landed in Tokyo, the capital of Japan, late on Sunday. He held talks with the country’s leaders on global, regional, and bilateral concerns on Monday. 

During a news conference on Monday in Japan, Amir Abdollahian stated that Iran wants Japan to support measures to secure security in the West Asia region by utilizing the potential and capabilities of nations in the region.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman also said that Amir Abdollahian took part in two meetings of foreign ministers of BRICS and BRICS Plus in South Africa in June during which the participants held bilateral meetings.

The issue of Iran’s bid to join BRICS was discussed in South Africa, Kanaani said. 

During the same trip, Amir Abdollahian announced that Tehran planned to convene a conference to study collaboration between the Islamic Republic and BRICS the currently consists of the five economically emerging countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

On the US decision to deploy new fighter jets and destroyers in the Persian Gulf, Kanaani said, “Our position is quite clear and, in our opinion, the Persian Gulf countries are fully capable of guaranteeing their security and there is no need for the presence of foreign forces in the region.” 

He added the security of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is one of Iran’s top concerns, emphasizing that regional security should be supplied by collaborative partnership among the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman’s coastline nations.

In response to a question that Britain's Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said the IRGC poses threat to UK’s national security, the Foreign Ministry spokesman described the United Kingdom as a backer of terrorists in the region.

The UK is unable to blame the IRGC because of its track record in West Asia, which has resulted in long-term instability in the region, as well as its involvement in directly and indirectly supporting terrorism, Kanaani said.

“The IRGC has provided significant services not only to regional countries but also to European states,” he added. 

He went on to say that the IRGC is a branch of the Islamic Republic’s official military in charge of protecting national interests and security.

 

US presence in Persian Gulf unjustifiable

The security of the Persian Gulf, Sea of Oman, and northern Indian Ocean, according to a top Iranian military commander, has nothing to do with the United States.

The statements were made by Abolfazl Shekarchi, the spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces, when addressing reporters on Saturday in reaction to the United States’ decision to place guards on commercial ships passing through the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

“What the security of the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean has to do with America? What are you US forces doing here?” the commander asked, adding, “All the countries in the region are capable of establishing security in these waters.”

The US recently announced that it is preparing to send its marines along with jet fighters and warships into the Persian Gulf in yet another act of intrusion far from their borders in an effort to deter Iran on its own territory despite repeated Iranian declarations opposing foreign military presence in the strategically important waterway.

According to the Associated Press, Washington’s forceful economic and diplomatic measures against Iran have failed, and the US is now sending troops, the USS Bataan aircraft carrier, advanced F-35 fighter jets, and other warplanes to the Persian Gulf in an effort to concentrate its resources on China and Russia, which are Iran’s nuclear rivals.

Shekarchi responded to the US action by asserting that Washington has a policy of blaming foreign countries for regional unrest and using it as an excuse to increase its military presence in regional waterways.

The commander slammed the US for stealing the resources of Muslim countries to produce weapons and reselling those weapons to the neighboring states.

He added that although the US and Europe provide the weapons that are now used against people in the region, they accuse Iran of meddling in the internal affairs of the neighboring nations.

Shekarchi further warned those who cast a covetous eye on the three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf to heed the Islamic Republic's power in order to avoid any miscalculation.

The top military official urged neighboring nations to place their faith in Iran, reiterating “We guarantee the establishment of security in regional waters.”

Shekarchi referred to the August 02 drills by the IRGC Navy in the Persian Gulf, saying it was intended to demonstrate to the other nations in the region that they do not need to rely on foreigners to maintain regional security.

In order to demonstrate its strength and preparedness to safeguard the security of the Persian Gulf and all of the Iranian islands there, IRGC Navy conducted large-scale war games on several Persian Gulf islands with the purpose of increasing readiness to defend them. 

The exercises spanned the Iranian islands of Abu Musa, Naze'at, the Greater Tunb, and the Lesser Tunb islands.
Various units of the IRGC Navy, including the combat, naval, missile, drone, rapid reaction, electronic warfare and airborne units, backed by the IRGC Aerospace Force, exercise a range of military tactics in the war game.

Also, drones and sail-drones equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) were employed in the exercises.

 

Iran Russia China joint naval drill in Sea of Oman

Naval forces from Iran, Russia and China started a large-scale maritime exercise in the northern part of Indian Ocean and Sea of Oman on Friday, 27th December 2019.The joint exercise is being viewed by some analysts as a show of power and solidarity between Iran, China and Russia. The exercise, named “Marine Security Belt”, will last for four days and cover 17,000 square kilometers and consist of "various tactical exercises"

Earlier, speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi said it was important and vital that security should be established in Indian Ocean and Sea of Oman. Indian Ocean and Sea of Oman are among the world's key trade routes and many countries commute in the (two) regions and therefore establishing security there is important and vital, said Shekarchi.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Friday that the joint military exercises show that Iran and its partners are committed to secure vital waterways. “Our joint military drills in Oman Sea/Indian Ocean with Russian and Chinese partners make clear our broader commitment to secure vital waterways,” Zarif added. Iran has been insisting that it is ready to work with its neighbors on the southern shores of the Persian Gulf to secure maritime trade in the region based on the Hormuz peace initiative. “Iran has long stated its readiness to work with its neighbors to secure the Persian Gulf.

Since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, it is the first time that the country has staged such a large-scale drill participated with two huge naval powers in the world. Certainly those countries share security, economic, political, and defense interests and try to restore collective security in the region. Reinvigoration of international maritime trade, countering piracy, exchange of information and experiences in various fields including maritime rescue and relief are among the main objectives of the drill.

Rear Admiral Tahani said peace, friendship and sustainable security under collective unity and cooperation are the main messages of the current naval drill. The message of this exercise is peace, friendship and lasting security through cooperation and unity … and its effect will be to show that Iran cannot be isolated.

China has sent a guided-missile destroyer to the four-day drills, which it called a "normal military exchange" between the three armed forces. It is not necessarily connected with the regional situation. China has close diplomatic, trade and energy ties with Iran, which has friendly ties with Russia.

Russia had sent three ships from its Baltic Fleet - a frigate, a tanker, and a rescue tug boat - to take part in the drills. It is believed that Russia is participating for the first time in such drills, being held in such a format.

The drills are being held at a time that the United States is resorting to every ploy to pressure Iran and isolate it in the world.  It sends a clear signal to the United States that the Iran issue should be addressed through negotiations based on the previous deal rather than military actions. The US should stop fanning the flames.

Certain quarters say that the drill was in response to recent US maneuvers with its regional ally Saudi Arabia. The trilateral drills are the first of its kind and being held at a time when Iran is facing unprecedented sanctions from the US. The joint drills are likely to be perceived as provocative by Washington.