The United States does not view the upcoming February naval exercises of Russia, China and Iran in the Indian Ocean as a hindrance to its capabilities in the region, said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby. His words are quoted by RIA Novosti.
“The naval training is an expected thing. I don’t think we see this kind of exercise as an obstacle to our ability to defend freedom of navigation and support our alliances and partners around the world,” Kirby said.
Earlier, Russian Ambassador to Iran Levan Dzhagaryan announced plans to hold trilateral naval exercises in mid-February this year in the Indian Ocean. In the course of them, it is planned to work out cooperation in search and rescue operations and measures to ensure the safety of navigation.
On February 3, the head of the Strategic Command of the US Armed Forces (AF), Admiral Charles Richard, assessed the possibility of a nuclear war with Russia or China. According to him, since the collapse of the USSR, the Pentagon has not had to consider the possibility of a direct military clash with a nuclear power, but now the situation has changed.