Iran to form naval alliance with regional states to ensure security: Navy commander
Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani says the country will form new regional and extra-regional alliances to enhance security.
"A joint alliance with naval forces of Iran and regional countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Iraq, will be set up soon," Irani said in a televised interview on Saturday.
"Today, regional countries have realized that the establishment of security in the region requires synergy and cooperation."
The commander said Iran and Oman have held several joint naval drills in the past but other countries are now eager for collective naval cooperation, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Pakistan and India.
He said Iran, Russia and China are expanding a previously formed naval coalition.
Irani said virtually all the countries located in the northern areas of the Indian Ocean have come to the conclusion that they should stand by Iran and jointly establish security through enhanced synergy.
The contours of the regional alliance is coming into shape a year after the Israeli regime announced that it, together with the United States and their regional Arab allies, would establish what they called a "Middle East NATO” to counter the influence of Iran in the region.
The concept was hyped by American and Israeli military officials ahead of President Joe Biden’s visit to the Middle East last July. The aim was to forge better coordination between the allies to defend each other against perceived Iranian threats.
The Israeli dream of an anti-Iran alliance, however, has been shattered as a number of Persian Gulf Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia, have since begun shifting their alliances and restoring their relations with Iran.
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