The spokesperson of the 2024 Hybrid Maritime Search, Rescue and Security Exercise said on Monday that the exercise was carried out for the first time in the Caspian Sea by the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy and all maritime organizations active in the Caspian Sea.

Captain Abbas Hassani said in an interview with IRNA that Iranian and Russian vessels took part in the exercise to increase preparations for potential maritime incidents.

According to the official, in addition to the Iranian armed forces, representatives from the Caspian Sea countries, including the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation, are supervising the various stages of this exercise.

The purpose of this exercise is to promote interactions and cooperation between the maritime apparatuses of the Islamic Republic of Iran and other countries bordering the Caspian Sea, he said, adding that the littoral states do not tolerate the presence of ultra-regional countries in this region.

Hassani also stated that the four-day exercise includes a coastal phase as well as a tactical phase.

The naval and air forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation carried out firefighting operations and rescue of the injured personnel as well as the removal of the damage caused on the commercial vessel based on the schedule of the 2024 Hybrid Maritime Search, Rescue and Security Exercise.

According to Captain Hassani, after receiving the emergency message of the ship that had caught fire, the area of operation was first identified and searched by the helicopters of the Iranian Navy, and then the rocket launcher carrier “Separ” dispatched the vessels stationed in the area to carry out firefighting operations.