Iran and Russia conducted joint naval exercises on Thursday amid increased regional tensions and threats that the US could launch strikes on Tehran "as soon as Saturday".
Iranian and Russian special naval forces carried out drills "simulating the liberation of a hijacked ship, involving aerial reconnaissance, surface operations and the capture of simulated pirates", Iranian state media reported. The exercises raise the risk of an unintended escalation in the region, experts told The National.
The drills, which took place in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean, aimed to “enhance security and sustainable maritime interactions”, Iran’s Fars news agency reported on Wednesday, quoting a navy commander.
Russia’s military released a video showing one of its warships, the corvette Stoiky, arriving at the port city of Bandar Abbas, where Iran’s navy is based. In a statement, Russia's Defence Ministry said “Russian and Iranian sailors were working in tandem to ensure the safety of civilian navigation".
The Kremlin said on Thursday that it hopes for a diplomatic solution to US-Iran tensions. "We are currently witnessing an unprecedented escalation of tensions in the region, but we still expect that political and diplomatic tools will prevail," said Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson.
When asked about whether the joint naval exercises were related to tensions, he said: "These are planned exercises and were agreed upon in advance."
Iran also warned airlines of plans to launch rockets across the south of the country as part of the joint exercises. The notice was issued amid heightened tensions with the US, which has amassed considerable firepower near Iran despite resuming negotiations aimed at reaching a nuclear deal with Tehran.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps held exercises in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week, temporarily closing parts of the waterway. The drills were viewed as a warning that it would retaliate against US strikes.
While US President Donald Trump has seemingly kept the door open for diplomacy with Iran, there are signs that American strikes are the likeliest outcome. Washington has sent two aircraft carrier strike groups to the Middle East and publicly available flight tracking information showed a steady stream of American warplanes heading to the region.
Senior national security officials have told Mr Trump that the military is ready to launch attacks as early as Saturday, but the US leader has not yet made a decision about whether to strike, CBS News reported, quoting sources.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Trump's preference was for a diplomatic solution, but noted that there were “many reasons and arguments that one could make for a strike against Iran”.
Iran and the US resumed nuclear talks this month, with both sides saying progress was made at a meeting in Geneva this week. But the possibility of reaching a deal to avert war remains uncertain, given the differences between what the US is demanding and what Iran says it is willing to concede.
“We're still very far apart on some issues,” Ms Leavitt said. “I believe the Iranians are expected to come back to us with some more detail in the next couple of weeks and so the President will continue to watch how this plays out."
