Iranian naval forces have joined members of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) for a maritime exercise off the coasts of Goa, India.
The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium has held the first edition of the IONS Maritime Exercise (IMEX 2022) in the Indian waters near Goa.
The Iranian naval forces onboard ‘Dena’ homegrown destroyer have taken part in the joint exercise.
Nine military vessels from five IONS member states and 16 observers from 11 other members have reportedly taken part in the joint drill.
According to Captain Farhad Fattahi, commander of the Iranian flotilla, the IMEX 2022 will be held in two onshore and offshore phases, as the latter involves specialized naval operations such as rescue and relief missions.
The Iranian Navy has participated in the joint exercise with humanitarian purposes in order to offer training cooperation and share its maritime and naval experiences, he added.
To conceive the outlines of the exercise, a planning conference was held in India’s Mumbai on March 2 with the participation of navies of the IONS members.
The onshore phase of IMEX 2022 was conducted at India’s Mormugao port from March 25 to 27, while the offshore phase is held in the Arabian Sea.
The IONS is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase maritime co-operation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region by providing an open and inclusive forum for discussion of regionally relevant maritime issues.
Source: Iranian media (edited by Al-Manar English Website)
