Iran, China and Russia will launch a joint military operation Monday called "Security Belt 2025," designed to promote security and trilateral cooperation in the Indian Ocean.

Iran appears to be using the drills as a powerful signal that amid shifting dynamics under the new US administration, it will not be alone in defending its strategic interests.

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.