GCC Countries Conduct Simultaneous Drills With U.S., Iran and Russia

Assets from Task Force 59 participating in the U.S.-Emirati exercise (USN)

GCC navies this week found themselves conducting an exercise with the US Navy in Emirati territorial waters at the southern end of the Gulf, whilst participating at the same time in an exercise in the Indian Ocean off Bandar Abbas with the Iranian and Russian navies.

The joint US-Emirati Exercise Iron Defender 24, being held October 14-24, appears the more ambitious of the two exercises. The US Navy’s 5th Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain reported that Exercise Iron Defender would test participants in scenarios involving ‘visit, board, search and seizure, unmanned system integration, harbor defense, diving, medical training, and training at sea’.

The emphasis in this year’s exercise appears to be on integrating unmanned surface vessels into fleet activities, with USS Devastator (MCM 6) and Task Force 59 playing a central role.

Iran has recently taken offense at a joint statement issued by the EU and GCC at the end of a conference in Brussels calling for Iran to return to the UAE the three disputed islands in the Gulf which it occupied in 1971.

In contrast, the Iranian exercise IMEX 2024 - which Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar observed, alongside representatives from Bangladesh, India, Thailand and Pakistan - appears to have focused on oil spillage clean-up activities and maritime firefighting. Iran’s Navy commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani maintained that the exercise collective showed that ‘Iran cannot be isolated’.

The vessels participating in the two day exercise on October 19-20 included Moudge Class frigate IRINS Al Borz (F72), plus IRINS Bayandor (F81) and Sina Class fast attack craft IRINS Zeneh (P235) from the regular Navy, and from the IRGC Navy a Shahid Soleimani Class missile corvette, a Hendijan Class patrol boat and the fast guided missile patrol craft Shahid Rouhi (P313-11).

The Russian Navy contributed the Steregushchiy Class corvette Merkury (F734) which is normally based at Tartous in Syria, and Oman sent the high-speed support vessel RNOV Mubshir (S11). Observers afloat viewed the exercise from Moudge Class frigate IRINS Jamaran (F76).