Russian Navy Arrives in Bandar Abbas for Iranian Exercises
The Russian Steregushchiy-class corvette Stoykiy (F545) has arrived in Bandar Abbas in advance of a naval exercise to be held jointly with the regular Iranian Navy at the end of this week. The exercise is to take place in the Sea of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean, the sea area in which the USS Abraham Lincoln and its carrier strike group are also currently deployed.
The corvette Stoykiy (F545) has been making its way slowly around Africa for several weeks now making port calls, and was the Russian participant in Exercise Will for Peace-2026 in South Africa in January. On February 4, the Stoykiy made a port visit to Port Victoria, to help the Seychelles mark the 50th anniversary of independence. It is unlikely now that the Russian participation will also include the Udaloy Class frigate RFS Marshal Shaposhnikov (F543), which was nearby making a port call in Muscat last week, but which has now sailed east to participate in India’s International Fleet Review.
2 x Iranian Moudge-class frigates (green) and RFS Stoykiy (red) in Bandar Abbas Harbor, intelligence collector IRINS Zagros (H313) (yellow) close by on February 18. IRINS Kurdestan (K442) is in the outer basin and possibly a Kilo-class on the submarine pier (Sentinel-2/CJRC)
The officer in charge of the Russian deployment, Captain First Rank Alexei Sergeev, was pictured alongside Rear Admiral Hassan Maqsoudlou, the Iranian officer in charge of the exercise, while visiting the Moudge-class frigate IRINS Jamaran (F76). The Jamaran is likely therefore to be participating in the exercise as well, which is to be held under the auspices of the Iranian Navy’s Bandar Abbas-based First Naval District.
Iranian participation may also include the ships of the 103rd Flotilla, which also participated in the South African Will for Peace 2026 exercise. The 103rd Flotilla has not yet returned to its home port of Bandar Abbas, and is likely to already be in the Northern Indian Ocean. The 103rd Flotilla consists of the Bayandor Class corvette IRINS Naghdi (F82) and the Nedaja’s forward base ship IRINS Makran (K441), supported by the IRGC Navy’s converted oil tanker, IRIS Shahid Mahdavi (L110-3).
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The WANA news agency made no mention of Chinese participation in the forthcoming exercise. The trilateral Marine Security Belt exercise is normally held at this time of year, involving Iranian, Russian and Chinese participation. Nor did WANA mention the name of the exercise which is about to start, a further indication that the Chinese may not be participating this year.
It had been expected that vessels from the Chinese Djibouti-based 48th Flotilla, made up of the Type 052DL guided-missile destroyer Tangshan (D122), the Type 054A guided-missile frigate Daqing (F576) and the Type 903A replenishment ship Taihu (K889), would be involved. But the Chinese may have withdrawn, not wishing to be engaged at a time when US-Iranian tensions are high.