Joint drill with Russia highlights Iran’s transnational deterrence
The navies of Iran and Russia are set to hold a joint exercise on Thursday in the Sea of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean. The drill comes as the United States has significantly stepped up its military presence in the region, deployed a second aircraft carrier, and, according to some US officials, is preparing for a possible confrontation with Iran if negotiations—whose second round was held on Tuesday—collapse. A few days earlier, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) had also conducted drills in the Strait of Hormuz. Ebrahim Pourvahedi, a security studies expert, told Iran Daily that Russia’s presence alongside Iran in the exercise could be interpreted not only as defensive convergence but also as evidence of Iran’s transnational deterrence and its evolution into a deterrence network against the expansionism of NATO and the United States.
IRAN DAILY: With Russia’s participation in this joint exercise, what strategic messages does the move send to the United States and its regional allies? Can it be seen as a sign of emerging defense convergence between Tehran and Moscow and part of efforts to strengthen active deterrence against US pressure?
POURVAHEDI: Holding a joint exercise between Iran and Russia stands as a clear symbol of the end of the project of Iran’s “political isolation,” a goal for which the US foreign policy establishment has invested heavily for years. The strategic message to Washington is that the era of a “hierarchy of power,” in which the United States unilaterally decided on the security of international waters, has come to an end.
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