Iran plans joint military exercises with Russia and China amid U.S tensions
Deputy Chief of Iranian Armed Forces for International Affairs Qadeer Nizami said, that Iran plans to conduct joint naval exercises with Russia and China, reports Fars news agency.
According to Nizami, the exercises will be held in international waters of the Northern Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman. These will be the first trilateral exercises of Iran, Russia and China, said Nizami. He did not specify the scheduled date for military drills.
Nizami made this statement a day after the US announced the deployment of troops to the Middle East in response to the drone attack on Saudi Arabian oil fields.
The number of US troops that will be sent to the Middle East, will not involve "thousands," said Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford. According to the US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, the US military will focus on air and missile defense.
On September 14, a drone attack caused significant damage to an oil refinery and oil field in Saudi Arabia, significantly reducing the country’s oil export volumes. Yemenite Houthis have claimed responsibility for the attack, but the US and the Arab Coalition which supports the Yemenite government believe that Iran was behind it.
The Houthis have previously used drones to attack Saudi oil facilities, but without causing such serious problems.