Iran, Saudi Arabia in talks for joint naval drills
The exercise is being planned as Iran prepares for a possible attack by Israel
The Iranian and Saudi navies are planning to hold a joint exercise in the Red Sea region, Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Shahram Irani announced on 22 October.
ISNA news agency quoted Irani as saying that the Iranian naval forces are present in the Red Sea and that Saudi Arabia has expressed interest in organizing joint maneuvers in the region.
The admiral stressed that the delegations from both countries would hold consultations on organizing the maneuver, adding that they had extended mutual invitations to visit each other's ports.
Iran and Saudi Arabia normalized relations in March 2023 following a six-year rupture through talks brokered by China.
The joint naval exercise proposal comes amid escalating tension between Tel Aviv and Tehran.
Israeli leaders are threatening to attack Iran in retaliation for Iran's firing of a large barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel on 1 October.
The Iranian attack, which targeted three Israeli airbases, came in response to multiple Israeli aggressions, including the assassination of Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi statedon Tuesday that the Islamic Republic does not seek war in the region but is fully prepared for any conflict.
“We have done our best to reduce the tension, but we are prepared to deal with any scenario,” he noted during a press conference in Kuwait.
“Our message is very clear: the Zionist regime is seeking to expand the war in the region, and we must stop this disaster,” Araghchi said.
Amid its mobilization in preparation for a possible Israeli attack, Iran hosted the IMEX 2024 naval maneuvers in the Indian Ocean on Saturday and Sunday, with the participation of the naval forces from Russia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, India, Thailand, Pakistan, Qatar, and Bangladesh.
According to Iranian reports, the objectives of these maneuvers include enhancing maritime security, monitoring issues related to the marine environment, humanitarian measures, containing natural disasters, and exchanging information between the naval forces of the participating countries.
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