TEHRAN - Naval forces from Iran, Russia and China are set to stage a joint naval exercise in the Persian Gulf, where the three powerhouses will conduct large-scale maritime drills involving various divisions of their military forces, Press TV reports.

Forces from the three countries will jointly practice exercises during the 2024 Marine Security Belt naval war game, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani told the IRINN news channel on Friday evening.

Admiral Irani added that delegates from Pakistan, Brazil, Oman, India, South Africa and a number of the Caspian Sea littoral states have also been invited to participate in the drills as observers.

Iran, China and Russia have held several joint military drills in recent years to improve the security of international maritime trade, counter piracy and maritime terrorism, exchange information in naval rescue and relief operations, and exchange operational and tactical experiences.

Irani went on to say that the main phase of the country's largest maritime zone will come on stream at the port city of Jask in southeastern Iran during the Ten-Day Dawn celebrations marking the 46th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

Heavy-lift vessels will be deployed in the maritime zone by the end of the current Iranian calendar year, which concludes on March 20, 2024, the navy chief stated.

“Given the growth in the number of operating heavy lift vessels in the country, we are planning to establish a much larger maritime zone in Konarak” in the country’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, the commander pointed out.

The rear admiral also described as “positive” the reactions of the Caspian Sea littoral states to the addition of Daylaman, the newest homegrown destroyer, to the Iranian Navy’s Caspian Sea fleet on Monday.

The military vessel, whose hull identification number is 78, officially came into operation at a ceremony in the northern port city of Bandar Anzali.

Weighing 1,500 tons, the destroyer has been designed and manufactured by the Defense Ministry under the aegis of the Navy.

Daylaman is known as the most advanced version of the Jamaran-class vessels.

Elsewhere in his remarks on Friday evening, Irani pointed to the volume of commercial transactions in the Caspian Sea, and the change in the attitude towards maritime economy and shipping in the inland body of water, hoping that Deylaman destroyer could help Iran's commercial sector.

“If we (Iran) can build a destroyer, then there would certainly be no difficulty in the development of a [homegrown] commercial vessel,” he underscored.

Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made great progress in developing and manufacturing a broad range of military equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient in this regard.

Iran has also held several military units with the aim of testing its combat readiness in face of possible threats.