The latest American naval operation through the Taiwan Strait also came on the heels of a move by the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee to pass the Taiwan Policy Act of 2022, which now heads to the Senate floor. The act is aimed at designating Taipei a "Major Non-NATO Ally" and to provide "almost $4.5 billion in security assistance" to the self-ruled territory "over the next four years."

Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency reported. Other countries including Oman and Pakistan may also join the drills, Mehr cited Iranian Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri as saying, without giving further details.

The three nations started joint exercises in December 2019, according to Iranian state media, to deal with unspecified "threats in the region." China's military spokesman at the time described the exercises as a "normal military exchange." The most recent round was in January.