Russian, Oman Warships Arrive in Bandar Abbas for Drills
TEHRAN -- Russian and Omani warships arrived in Iran’s territorial waters in the Persian Gulf on Friday to participate in the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Maritime Exercise “IMEX 2024,” which will be hosted by the Southern Fleet of the Iranian Navy in the coming days.
The warships docked in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas and were received by the Iranian Navy and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) helicopters and naval vessels upon arrival.
Representatives of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Thailand also landed at Bandar Abbas airport to take part in the war game as observers.
The purpose of the “IMEX 2024” joint naval exercise is to increase collective security in the region, expand multilateral cooperation, and display the goodwill and capabilities to safeguard peace, friendship and maritime security.
The participants in the exercise will practice tactics to ensure international maritime trade security, protect maritime routes, enhance humanitarian measures, and exchange information on rescue and relief operations.
The IONS features 24 Indian Ocean littoral states, which gather biennially for multilateral meetings and naval exercises.
The IONS seeks to increase maritime cooperation among navies and provide a forum for discussion of regional maritime issues and the promotion of friendly relationships.