Iran, Russia, and China to conduct joint naval exercises amidst escalating Middle East tensions

He did not specify the location for the planned manoeuvres. Previous trilateral exercises were undertaken in the Gulf of Oman last year, occurring in March as well.

The Iranian news agency, Tasnim, described the exercises as a "war game", highlighting that invitations had been extended to numerous other countries.

The planned exercises this year are set against a backdrop of escalating tensions in the Middle East. Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran, are launching rocket attacks and drone strikes on warships and commercial vessels in the Red Sea. Their justification for such actions is a desire to support the Palestinian group, Hamas, which is currently involved in an armed conflict with Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.

The US and UK armed forces are responding to these incidents by executing operations against Houthi targets located in rebel-controlled Yemen regions.

While China has not yet officially condemned the actions of the Houthis, Reuters reports that Chinese officials have requested assistance from their Iranian counterparts to halt attacks on Red Sea shipping vessels conducted by this armed group.