TEHRAN - A senior member of the Russian Council on Inter-Ethnic Relations said on Saturday that the joint drills by naval forces of Iran, Russia and China proved that the U.S. unilateralist policy has no place in today’s world. 

Ismail Shabanov said the drill shows that the international system no longer tolerates unilateralism.

The military exercise comes at a time that the United States is resorting to every illegal ploy to isolate Iran in the world. 

The drills, codenamed “Maritime Security Belt”, started on Friday and will last until Monday. The military exercise, the first of its kind between Iran and the two global military powers of Russia and China, is taking place in the Sea of Oman and north of the Indian Ocean. 

Shabanov said the joint military drill by the three key powers was in fact a response to security challenges posed by the U.S. and NATO.

He added that the U.S. and the West are the root causes of instability in the Middle East.

On the importance of such drills, he said maintaining military cooperation among Russia, Iran and China for preserving stability in the world is of prime importance.

In comments on his official Twitter account on Friday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said the world is living in the post-West era. 

“The fact is that in the current transitional era, not everything happens in, nor by the West. We are truly living in a #Post_Western_world in which all global players have their share in its reality,” Abbas Mousavi said in regard to the joint drill. 

The joint military exercise is viewed by some analysts as a show of power and solidarity between Iran and the great powers of China and Russia in the face of pressure by Washington.

China has sent a guided-missile destroyer to the four-day drills. Russia has also sent three ships from its Baltic Fleet - a frigate, a tanker, and a rescue tug boat.

The Russian Defense Ministry has said it is the first time that such drills are being held in such a format.

The Times of Israel also reported that the drill is the first such trilateral exercise as Tehran seeks to boost military cooperation with Beijing and Moscow amid unprecedented economic sanctions from Washington.

Global Times quoted Wu Qian, spokesperson of the Chinese Defense Ministry, as saying that the exercise aims to deepen the cooperation between the navies of the three countries. Wu also said the wargame conveys a goodwill gesture.

He further said that the joint exercise will also exhibit China's ability to maintain world peace and maritime security.