China, Iran and Russia:  held joint naval drills in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

TOPIC: General Studies 2:

• Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian Diaspora.

China, Iran and Russia:  held joint naval drills in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman

In news:

• China, Iran and Russia held joint naval drills in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman, amid heightened tension in the region between Iran and the United States.
• This is being seen as a response to recent US manoeuvers in the region.
• exercise has been launched from the port city of Chabahar (The Chabahar port, which is near Iran’s border with Pakistan, was built with Indian assistance and is operated by India)

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 28th December 2019

SRC:TOIsreal

Why tensions?

• Last year U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six nations and re-imposed sanctions on the country, crippling its economy.
• Several attacks recently on international merchant vessels, including Saudi tankers, in Gulf waters which the United States blamed on Iran.
• US accused Iran of carrying out drone attacks on oil fields in Saudi Arabia. The attacks had immediately reduced Saudi Arabia’s oil production by half (5% of global oil production),
• Since attacks US sent a number of its troops to the region, and provided Saudi Arabia with missile defence systems.

Gulf of Oman:

• The Gulf of Oman connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz (through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes), which then runs to the Persian Gulf. 
• It borders Iran and Pakistan, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 28th December 2019

SRC: CNN

Why Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman?

• The Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman are key areas for international trade and maintaining security in the waterways is an important task

Significance:

• The Gulf of Oman, where the exercise is being held, is a critical waterway as it connects the Arabian Sea to the Strait of Hormuz, a 33-km wide passage which opens into the Persian Gulf — located between energy producers Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman (the exclave of Musandam), and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• A fifth of the world’s oil passes through this waterway — around 30% of all sea-borne crude oil globally.
• Since 2019, Gulf of Oman has been a focal point of global tensions.

Conclusion:

• The three-nation drill is expected to further provoke US
• It may bolster security of international maritime commerce, combating piracy and terrorism and sharing information… and experience
• The most significant challenge to the post-Cold War international order is the growing power of ambitious states opposed to the West. Iran, Russia, and China are taking advantage of the U.S. withdrawal from the world stage and while they seek opportunity, cooperation between them remains fragmentary.

Connecting the dots:

• Do you think this Tri- lateral exercise is going to Impact India?
• What do you think will be the next step of US?