Naval units from Iran, China and Russia commenced a joint naval exercise ‘Marine Security Belt 2024’ in the Gulf of Oman this week Tuesday, with a reported 15 or more ships involved and supported by naval helicopters drawn from the three countries. Among the naval ships involved are the Russian missile cruiser Varyag, supported by the frigate Marshall Shaposhnikov, the Chinese guided-missile destroyer Urumqi, guided-missile frigate Linyi and replenishment vessel Dongpinghu. On Wednesday, the ships were divided into two task groups – one composed of Russian and Iranian ships and the other composed of Chinese and Iranian ships – to carry out a hostage rescue drill, with two Iranian ships playing the role of hijacked merchant ships.