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Iran says it will hold naval drill with Russia and China "soon"

21 September 2019 14:54 (UTC +04:00)

Iran said it will stage a naval drill with Russia and China in international waters after the US announced plans to send troops to the Middle East, APA reports citing Tasnim News Agency

“The joint drill will be held in the north of the Indian Ocean and the Sea of Oman,” it is said, citing Brigadier-General Ghadir Nezami, head of international affairs and defence diplomacy at Iran’s General Staff of the Armed Forces.

“We have made no plan whatsoever to hold such a drill in the Persian Gulf.”

The joint exercise will be the first by Iran, China and Russia in the Indian Ocean.

The announcement comes less than 24 hours after the US said it would send a “moderate” number of American troops to the region and additional missile defence capabilities to Saudi Arabia in response to last week’s strikes on the kingdom’s oil facilities.