The Navy and a visiting flotilla of warships from China conducted a joint naval exercise near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. The joint naval drill involved Iranian warships and a Chinese flotilla that berthed at Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas on Thursday, according to Tasnim News Agency. The Chinese flotilla comprised the guided-missile destroyer Chang Chun, guided-missile frigate Jin Zhou and Type 903 replenishment ship Chao Hu. In the maneuvers, the Iranian and Chinese naval forces displayed their capabilities and shared experiences. The Chinese flotilla earlier had called on Karachi Port for a training program with the Pakistanis before deployment to Iran. Iran’s Navy and the People’s Liberation Army Navy (Chinese Navy) have intensified cooperation in recent years. In September 2014, a Chinese flotilla of warships docked in Bandar Abbas and held a joint naval exercise with Iran. In December 2015, members of a high-ranking naval delegation from China visited Iran for talks.
