Iran, China and Russia, the three major US geostrategic rivals, began Friday four days of joint naval exercises. The ships will cover an area of 17,000 square kilometers in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman, the gateway to the Persian Gulf – where about a third of all oil transported by sea passes. Iranian Admiral Gholamreza Tahani told Press TV, “The goal is to” improve the security of international maritime trade, tackle piracy and terrorism. ” But the exercise is seen above all as a demonstration of the strength and unity of these allied countries – which could further exacerbate tensions between the US and Iran.
However, while Iran, China and Russia have a common interest in counteracting US influence, their strategy diverges with regard to the Persian Gulf, which is disputed between two rival regional poles. On the one hand, Iran, on the other, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), close allies of the US – but which also maintain a strong trade relationship with China. After all, it is the largest oil importer in the world – almost 50% of which comes from the Middle East. As such, Beijing’s major concern is to try to ease tension in the region while Moscow takes a more active role – at this time Russian troops are fighting in Syria, supporting the Bashar al-Assad government.
Tensions and trade
China has been investing heavily in its navy in recent years: for example, its first aircraft carrier, Liaoning, came into service in 2012. In addition, Chinese maritime intervention against piracy is likely to increase as China’s booming export economy is growing – China is already trading three times more cargo by sea than the United States. However, China’s growing presence will surely alarm the US – especially as Beijing tries to assert itself in the US-dominated arms market in the Middle East.
All this at a time of enormous tensions in the region following the US exit from the nuclear deal with Iran, signed in 2015. In May, two oil tankers, one of them Saudi, were damaged by alleged sabotage acts of Iran, and a month then a US drone was shot down in Iranian airspace.
The situation became even more critical when a missile and drone attack devastated the main facilities of Aramco, the Saudi oil company. Both Washington and Riyadh asserted that the attack came from Iran’s territory – which denied the accusations – but retaliation never emerged.
– .
