On Friday, Iran joined China and Russia to conduct joint naval drills. Iranian flotilla admiral Gholamreza Tahani stated, “The message of this exercise is peace, friendship and lasting security through cooperation and unity… and its result will be to show that Iran cannot be isolated,” according to The Daily Mail. CNN reported he also stated that the exercise would cover 17,000 square kilometers and consist of “various tactical exercises,” which included target practice and rescuing ships from assaults and fires … Among the objectives of this exercise are improving the security of international maritime trade, countering maritime piracy and terrorism, exchanging information regarding rescue operations and operational and tactical experience.”
The Daily Mail added, “China said on Thursday it was sending a guided missile destroyer to the four-day drills, which it called a ‘normal military exchange’ between the three armed forces … Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Friday it had sent three ships from its Baltic Fleet — a frigate, a tanker and a rescue tug boat — to take part in the drills, Red Star, the official newspaper of Russia’s armed forces, reported.”
Beijing’s defense spokesman Wu Qian said, “The upcoming naval drills are aimed at deepening exchange and cooperation among the navies of the three countries, and displaying the three sides’ strong will and capabilities to jointly maintain world peace and maritime security, while actively building a maritime community with a shared future.”
In August, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration, Iran upped the ante in its confrontation with the West, tricking oil tankers into thinking Iranian vessels were U.S. and British warships and prompting them to enter Iranian waters, where they could be seized.
The Maritime Administration’s website stated:
Vessels operating in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman may also encounter GPS interference, bridge-to-bridge communications spoofing, and/or other communications jamming with little to no warning.
Since May 2019, the following maritime incidents have occurred in this region:
Six attacks against commercial vessels; Shoot-down of U.S. Navy remotely piloted aircraft over international waters; Attempted at-sea interdiction of Isle of Man-flagged M/V BRITISH HERITAGE; Seizure of ex-Panama-flagged M/V RIAH; Seizure of U.K.-flagged M/V STENA IMPERO; and Detention and subsequent release of Liberian-flagged M/V MESDAR.
In at least two of these incidents, vessels reported GPS interference. One vessel reportedly shut off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) before it was seized, complicating response efforts. Vessels have also reported spoofed bridge-to-bridge communications from unknown entities falsely claiming to be U.S. or coalition warships.
CNN reported, “A U.S. defense official told CNN that Iran has placed GPS jammers on Iran-controlled Abu Musa Island, which lies in the Persian Gulf close to the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz. The official said that Iran had placed the jammers at that location in an attempt to disrupt civilian aircraft and ship navigation systems, hoping ships or planes will mistakenly wander into Iranian waters or airspace while their GPS systems were not functioning properly, giving Iranian forces the pretext needed to seize them.”
