A group of Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) vessels and the Iranian Navy carried out a joint search and rescue naval exercise, backed by helicopters of the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) and the Iranian Air Force.

The drill, which took place in the Iranian territorial sea, comes as a part of RNO’s training plans with friendly countries with the aim of exchanging expertise and sustaining high efficiency in various military fields. The exercise included training fields for rescue procedures.

This annual training comes on the sidelines of the meetings of the Omani-Iranian Military Friendship Committee held in Iran from 12 to 17 December 2021, Oman News Agency (ONA) reported.

The event was attended by Brigadier Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Manthari, Assistant Chief of Staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF) for Operations and Planning, Head of the Omani side in the Committee, Brigadier General Mohammad Ahadi, Assistant Chief of Iranian Armed Forces for International Affairs, Head of the Iranian side in the Committee.

Meantime, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani in a meeting with Oman’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Planning Brigadier General Abdulaziz Abdullah al-Manthari voiced satisfaction in the two countries’ stable relations, Fars News Agency (FNA) reported.

He reiterated that Tehran and Muscat enjoy growing relations in different sectors, particularly in military fields, which has brought about lasting ties between the two sides.

Admiral Irani expressed Iran’s readiness to host Oman’s naval fleets for a visit to Iranian ports as a means to further promote relations.