As the USS Gerald R. Ford slips past Gibraltar and U.S. carriers mass near Iran, Tehran’s top admiral is busy collecting friends. At India’s MILAN 2026 drill, Navy chief Shahram Irani held side‑meetings with Russia, Saudi Arabia and Myanmar, pushing “collective security” and joint sea patrols just as Trump warns he’s “considering” a limited strike. As Russia and China’s just finished naval show of power alongside Iran in the Gulf of Oman, is Khamenei quietly locking in naval backup before any missiles fly?