China and Iran to Engage in Joint Naval Exercises

I doubt this news will even garner a hashtag from our State Department

Great...

Well, I'm sure John Kerry will tell us that both China and Iran can fight ISIS. Won't that be great?

From The Washington Free Beacon:

Chinese warships have pulled up to docks at the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf as the countries prepare to conduct joint naval exercises. 

“The voyage of the Chinese Army’s fleet of warships for the first time in Persian Gulf waters is aimed at joint preparation of Iran and China for establishing peace, stability, tranquility, and multilateral and mutual cooperation,” Admiral Amir Hossein Azad, commander of Iran’s First Naval Zone, said Saturday.  

[...]  

The visit is just one example of growing ties between China and Iran. A Chinese fleet commander, Rear Adm. Huang Xinjian, said the visit was intended to “deepen mutual understanding, and to enhance exchanges between our two countries’ navies.” 

“I’m sure that this visit will encourage the constant advancement of friendly cooperation between our two countries’ navies,” Huang said.

Well, both countries have terrible records on human rights and have expressed a rather "enthusiastic" desire to expand their territories. I'm sure they'll have all sorts of things to talk about.

As distressing as this news is, it's hardly unexpected. China has been an ally of Iran for many years, and has helped Iran enormously with its nuclear program-- there are Chinese nuclear teams in Iran for many years.

Watching our enemies train while the US dithers and reduces its military capabilities is very difficult. It turns out that "smart" diplomacy doesn't replace military might.