Russia and the ChiComs stand firmly behind Iran. Iran is a key pawn for Russia. I seriously doubt they would be taking these provocative actions on their own without Russian approval. In fact, the Russians may well be calling the shots.
There’s Someone Else Who has something to say about this nonsense and He says it in Ezekiel 38 and 39 — and just for fun He uses the vultures for cleanup — after they all come face to face with the original “bottled sunshine” courtesy of He Who made it in the first place.
China wants to challenge U.S. naval supremacy in the Indian Ocean, the Gulf, and the Horn of Africa, as part of their long-term plans to increase their influence in Africa and access to African mineral resources; they use the Iranian navy as a pawn in this enterprise. Russia’s interest in the matter is more focused on its traditional Great Game with Britain and offsetting U.S./U.K. influence with Middle East oil producers.