TEHRAN — Chairman of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Mojtaba Zonnour says the joint naval exercise of Iran, Russia and China is frightening the Americans and Westerners, who try to form a military coalition against the Islamic Republic.

“The Americans have strived to fully isolate the Islamic Republic in the world and with the power and strength of God, their bullet hit the stone and they failed to reach their fiendish goals,” Zonnour said, Fars reported on Friday.

Iran, Russia and China started a joint naval drill on Friday. It will last for four days.

The naval exercise, codenamed “Marine Security Belt” is held in the north of the Indian Ocean and the Sea of Oman. 

The senior MP said Iran, Russia and China are staging the war game with their highest-class battleships and destroyers.

“The Islamic Republic cannot be threatened easily and it can be pivotal in big military steps in the region,” he added.

The military exercise, according to Zonnour, proves that Iran can be very effective in establishing and preserving security of regional countries.

Admiral Gholamreza Tahani, the deputy commander of the Iranian Navy, on Friday boasted the military exercise.

“Today, the Russian and Chinese fleet berthed at Shahid Beheshti port in Chabahar port city off the coast of the Sea of Oman, starting a trilateral joint drill with the Iranian Navy,” Tahani told a press conference.

Tahani called the northern part of the Indian Ocean a “safe and secure region” that its security is guaranteed by the Iranian Army and the IRGC.

“Since 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 worldwide,” Tahani said, adding certainly those countries that share security, economic, political, and defense interests try to restore collective security in the region together. 

MH/PA