Russia, China, Iran to hold massive joint military exercise

China, Russia, Iran and a handful of other nations will hold massive joint military drills later this month in what Beijing dubs a “comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation in a new era.”

The Kavkaz-2020 exercises, to be held in the Astrakhan region of Russia beginning on Sept. 21, also will include troops from Armenia, Belarus, Iran, Myanmar and Pakistan.

In a statement Thursday, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said the exercise is not specifically targeted “at any third party” — a nod to recent military tensions with the U.S.

But Beijing did make clear that the exercises represent the deepening of its ties with Moscow.