Iran to form naval alliance with 4 Gulf countries; India, Pakistan

Tehran: The Iranian navy announced a joint alliance with Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq alongside India and Pakistan, according to Iranian media.

This Commander of the Iranian Navy Admiral Shahram Irani revealed it in a television interview on Friday evening.

“Today, the countries of the region have reached a point that says that if security is to be maintained in the region, this must be done through synergy and mutual cooperation,” Shahram Irani said.

“In this regard, new alliances are taking shape, regionally and internationally,” he added.

Referring to the naval alliance between Iran, Russia, and China, the naval commander said that this tripartite alliance is being developed with Moscow and Beijing, where exercises are held annually.

“Almost all countries in the northern Indian Ocean region believe they should stand by Iran and achieve security together with great synergy,” he said.

Major breakthrough

The Arab region is witnessing a major breakthrough in relations with Iran after years of estrangement.

In March, Riyadh and Tehran announced their agreement to resume diplomatic relations after years of estrangement.

It is noteworthy that diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed in 2016 after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic headquarters in Iran and the Saudi authorities executed the Saudi Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.