Israel torpedoes Iran’s war games with China and Russia 

In a joint diplomatic effort with the United States, Israel succeeded in thwarting the participation of the Iranian navy in an international naval exercise that took place in Bali, Indonesia, at the end of February, Maariv reported on Monday.

According to the report, 56 navies from around the world participated in the exercise, including the United States, Britain, South Korea, European Union countries, China, and Russia. A few days before the exercise, Israel learned that Iran had also been invited to participate in the exercise.

Israel was concerned about this and exerted significant political pressure, in cooperation with the Americans, in order to cause the cancellation of the order for the Iranian navy. The United States has made it clear to the Indonesians that it will not participate in the exercise if Iran is allowed to take part in it, and the US Navy will be absent from the exercise. As a result, Iran's participation in the exercise ended, which is of great international importance, continued.

Meanwhile, joint naval drills organized annually between Iran, Russia and China are slated to start tomorrow in the southeastern Iranian port of Chabahar, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reports.

The three countries, which share a common desire to counter what they characterize as American hegemony, have held similar exercises in the region in recent years.

The drills "will begin on Tuesday in the port of Chabahar," located in southeast Iran on the Gulf of Oman, the Tasnim news agency said, without specifying their duration.

"Warships and combat and support vessels of the Chinese and Russian naval forces, as well as the warships of Iran's naval forces of the army and the Revolutionary Guards," the ideological arm of Iran's military, are expected to participate, according to Tasnim.