Iran launched naval manoeuvre in its southern waters on Thursday as it concluded hosting the joint counter-terrorism drills of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy staged two-day drills in the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea waters while its Ground Forces launched the final stage of the Sahand-2025 joint anti-terror exercise in which SCO special units participated
“The naval exercise codenamed ‘Shahid Nazeri’ after martyred commander of the elite units of the IRGC Navy takes place in the maritime theater of the Persian Gulf, the Hormuz Strait, the Sea of Oman, and the Iranian islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Siri,” IRGC announced in a statement.
It was staged one day after the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council’s joint summit with Italy in the Bahraini capital Manama on Wednesday backed the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) claim over three Iranian islands.
Tehran has categorically rejected Abu Dhabi’s claim on Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa in the Persian Gulf.
The Strait of Hormuz in which IRIB Navy is staging the wargame connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and is a key waterway for the transit of oil and natural gas to global markets.
Iran has at times warned that it could restrict the strait’s traffic during heightened tension.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation concluded its five-day Sahand-2025 anti-terrorism drills carried out in Iran’s East Azerbaijan Province on Thursday.
“The last day of the joint wargames focused on hostage release tactics as well as cross-border counterterrorism operation,” according to reports by DefaPress website which covers military and defence news.
Commander of the drills Brigadier General Vali Ma’dani said SCO member states Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Russia, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Kazakhstan, Iran, India and Belarus participated in the drills.
Representatives of neighbouring countries Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Iraq also took part as guest observers, he added.
In 2023, Iran became a full member of The Shanghai Cooperation Organization which is a Eurasian body of 10 member states.
As a regional organisation, it fosters political, economic, international security and counter-terrorism cooperation.
SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) has designated terrorism, separatism and extremism as “Three Evils” of the 10-member Eurasian political, economic and international security bloc.
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