China, Iran and Russia conducted joint naval drills Tuesday in the Middle East, offering a show of force in a region still uneasy over Tehran's rapidly expanding nuclear program and as Yemen's Houthi rebels threaten new attacks on ships.

TEHRAN, Iran — China, Iran and Russia conducted joint naval drills Tuesday in the Middle East, offering a show of force in a region still uneasy over Tehran's rapidly expanding nuclear program and as Yemen's Houthi rebels threaten new attacks on ships.

The navies of Iran, Russia, and China have completed joint manoeuvres in the Gulf of Oman. This was the fifth edition of these countries' annual exercises. What you need to know? The Gulf of Oman is located near the Strait of Hormuz,

This is an important meeting that is coming as Iran increasingly seeks to ingratiate itself with China and Russia.

China, Iran and Russia have conducted joint naval drills in the Middle East. Called the Maritime Security Belt 2025, the exercises took place in the Gulf of Oman near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all crude oil traded worldwide passes.