Dubai. June 3. INTERFAX - The head of the Iranian Navy, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, said that Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and other countries in the region intend to form a coalition to ensure maritime security.
"The commander of the Iranian Navy, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, said that a number of countries in the region, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, are going to form a new maritime coalition for actions in the northern waters of the Indian Ocean," the Iranian Mehr news agency reports.
He noted that Iran and Oman had previously conducted several naval exercises. At the same time, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Iraq wish to cooperate at sea.
Speaking about the emergence of new regional and international alliances, the Rear Admiral recalled the maritime union of Iran, the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China, which conduct annual naval exercises.
At the end of May, it became known that the UAE authorities decided to withdraw from the US-led coalition for maritime security in the Middle East. The United Maritime Forces Coalition, headquartered in Bahrain, unites 34 countries. One of its main tasks is to ensure security and combat terrorism and piracy in the Red Sea and in the Persian Gulf region.
