China, Iran and Russia will hold joint naval drills starting on Friday in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman, China's Defense Ministry said on Thursday, amid heightened tensions in the region between Tehran and Washington.

China will send the Xining, a guided missile destroyer, to the drills, which will last from Dec. 27 to 30, and is meant to deepen cooperation between the three countries' navies, ministry spokesman Wu Qian told a monthly news briefing.

The Gulf of Oman is a particularly sensitive waterway as it connects to the Strait of Hormuz — through which about a fifth of the world's oil passes — which in turn connects to the Arabian Gulf.

The drills are also coming at a time of fraught tensions between the U.S. and Iran.