Russia and Iran, the major players in the Caspian Sea, hold military exercises in the Caspian Sea
Editor's note: Turkmenistan, the fourth largest natural gas reserve holder among the Caspian coastal countries, dreams of building a trans-Caspian gas pipeline; Kazakhstan, a Caspian coastal country rich in oil reserves, is eager to build a trans-Caspian oil pipeline, but cannot get the approval of Russia and Iran.
Geopolitics dictates the logistics routes of hydrocarbons in Central Asia: Kazakh oil is forced to transit through Russia to reach Europe; Turkmenistan's natural gas, in addition to being transported to China, is exchanged with Iran and then transported to Europe by Iran.
According to Tasnim News Agency (Tansim), Iran and Russia will launch the CASAREX 2025 joint exercise in the Caspian Sea on July 21, with personnel from both countries' navies and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran's elite military force, participating in this exercise.
The news agency reported: "The joint maritime search and rescue exercise organized by the Iranian Islamic Republic Navy... CASAREX-2025 will be held in the Caspian Sea starting tomorrow (July 21) for three days... This exercise will involve the Iranian Navy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Russian Federation Navy, and observers from Caspian region countries."
Tasnim News Agency pointed out that the purpose of this exercise is to enhance the level of maritime security and interoperability of the navies of the Caspian region countries.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1838153707869641/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.