Iran hosts joint IMEX 2024 naval drills in southern waters
Naval drills hosted by Iran with the participation of several foreign countries kicked off in the Indian Ocean on Saturday.
The exercises, dubbed IONS Maritime Exercise (IMEX) 2024, are aimed at boosting “collective security in the region, expand multilateral cooperation, and display the goodwill and capabilities to safeguard peace, friendship and maritime security,” as reported by Iran’s state media.
Participants would practice tactics to ensure international maritime trade security, protect maritime routes, enhance humanitarian measures and exchange information on rescue and relief operations.
Rear Admiral Mostafa Tajeddini, the spokesman of the joint naval drill, said the exercise, hosted by the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy, naval division of the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization, started in the First Naval Region of the Iranian Navy in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday.
He added that naval forces from several foreign countries like Bangladesh, India, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand have taken part in the maritime exercise along with their Iranian counterparts.
Tajeddini noted that the combined naval exercise would include specialized meetings and workshops in order to transfer expertise to the participating forces.
He stated that units taking part in the joint naval drill will play out various scenarios such as fire control, search and rescue operations as well as oil spill recovery and clean-up methods.
The naval exercise is held under the motto of “Together for a safe and secure Indian Ocean,” Tajeddini said. It carries the message of peace, friendship, empathy and collective participation.
The IONS features 24 Indian Ocean littoral states, which gather biennially for multilateral meetings and naval exercises.
The IONS is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase maritime cooperation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region by providing an open and inclusive forum for discussion of regionally relevant maritime issues.