Iran, China and Russia have launched a joint naval exercise in the Indian Ocean, with the aim of boosting marine security, state media reported.
Iran's state TV said 11 of its vessels were joined by three Russian ships including a destroyer, and two Chinese vessels.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard will also participate with smaller ships and helicopters.
The military exercise comes at a time of heightened tensions between Russia and the West over Moscow's build-up of over 100,000 troops on their border with Ukraine.
Russia is also being joined by China and Iran - two nations which are at loggerheads with the West, with Beijing being accused of sending a spy to the heart of the UK Parliament.
Iran, China and Russia have launched a joint naval exercise in the Indian Ocean, with the aim of boosting marine security
An Iranian army member fires a weapon during a joint naval drill of Iran, Russia and China in the Indian Ocean on Friday
The joint naval exercise will cover some 6,560 square miles (17,000 square kilometres), in the Indian Ocean's north, and include night fighting, rescue operations and firefighting drills.
'The purpose of this drill is to strengthen security and its foundations in the region, and to expand multilateral cooperation between the three countries to jointly support world peace, maritime security and create a maritime community with a common future,' Iran's Rear Admiral Mostafa Tajoldini, spokesman for the drills, told state TV.
This is the third joint naval drill between the countries since 2019. It coincided with a recent visit by Iran's hardline President Ebrahim Raisi to Russia.
'Improving bilateral relations between Tehran and Moscow will enhance security for the region and the international arena,' Mr Raisi said upon returning from Russia on Friday, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Warships and a helicopter attend a joint naval drill of Iran, Russia and China in the Indian Ocean
Since coming to office last June, Iran's hardline President Ebrahim Raisi has pursued a 'look east' policy to deepen ties with China and Russia.
Tehran has sought to step up military cooperation with Beijing and Moscow amid regional tensions with the United States. Visits to Iran by Russian and Chinese naval representatives have also increased in recent years.
Tehran also joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in September, a central Asian security body led by Beijing and Moscow.
Iran has been holding regular military drills in recent months, as attempts to revive its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers founder.
Russian, Chinese and Iranian warships attend a joint naval drill of Iran, Russia and China in the Indian Ocean on Friday
Meanwhile, tensions have deepened between China and the West, with Britain accusing Beijing of sending alleged spy Christine Lee into the heart of the UK parliament.
The Chinese lawyer consorted in plain sight with Prime Ministers, peers and senior MPs, pumping hundreds of thousands of pounds into both Labour and Tory coffers as, according to MI5, she sought to extend Beijing’s influence.
China dismissed the warning from MI5 to MPs that Lee had been trying to 'covertly interfere in British politics for years, accusing Britain of being 'too obsessed with James Bond movies'.
Tensions between China and the West have worsened over their human rights record and their claim to owning Taiwan.
The South China Sea has become one of many
