Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani has expressed Tehran’s readiness to expand joint military drills with China as part of a bid to further develop bilateral strategic ties and counter the West’s persisting unilateralism.

Underlining that the United States is currently engaged in fomenting crisis and tension in Eastern Europe and West Asia, Ashtiani insisted during a Saturday meeting with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in India’s capital of New Delhi that “American policies are a common threat to Iran and China; we are against a unipolar world.”

Stressing that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has turned into an influential organization in global developments, Ashtiani said the expansion and consolidation of the SCO is an effective step towards promoting multilateralism in the international arena.

The Iranian defense chief further pointed to significant changes in the regional and international issues, and added that the two countries have invariably collaborated to thwart the implementation of “unilateralist and totalitarian approaches” pursued by the West in independent countries.

The defense minister referred to last month’s joint naval drills between Iran, China and Russia, dubbed Maritime Security Belt exercise 2023, saying, “This showed that the three countries are against the hegemonic views of the West and the United States, and we are ready to expand joint drills and exercises in the fields of sea, land, and air defense quantitatively and qualitatively.”

Ashtiani further state, “It will be very useful and productive for both sides to continue the dialogue and engage in exchanges of military defense and intelligence delegations at different levels.”

Ashtiani also lauded shared cultural and historical relations between Iran and China, saying the political will of the leaders of the two countries as well as the understanding and adoption of common positions towards international developments are of strategic value.

Iran, China, and Russia hold joint drills in Sea of Oman

Iran, China, and Russia hold joint drills in the Sea of Oman. The military maneuver, dubbed the Marine Security Belt 2023, aims to strengthen regional security.

Li, for his part, underscored existing ties and interactions between Iran and China with respect to the political will of the two countries’ leaders in the midst of critical global developments and the significance of further expanding bilateral military defense cooperation.

Lauding the “deep and long-term” ties between Tehran and Beijing, Li then added, “The two countries enjoy mutual strategic trust and both favor independence and an end to the status quo.”

The Chinese defense minister also expressed his appreciation for the Islamic Republic’s principled positions regarding China’s stance on international issues as well as the interests of the two nations, saying, “The two countries have a sincere and effective cooperation against the dominance of some countries.”

Li added, “We believe that a good horizon lies ahead of us and that the Islamic Republic of Iran plays a good and constructive role in regional issues.”