EXCLUSIVE: US says Iran’s claimed naval alliance with Saudi, Gulf nations ‘defies reason’

Breaking Defense

June 3rd,2023

BEIRUT — A US military official told Breaking Defense today that an Iranian assertion that Tehran would soon establish a naval alliance with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations “defies reason.”

“It defies reason that Iran, the number one cause of regional instability, claims it wants to form a naval security alliance to protect the very waters it threatens,” US 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces spokesperson Cmdr. Tim Hawkins said. He said that in the past two years alone, Iran has attacked or seized 15 internationally flagged merchant vessels.

“Actions matter, which is why we are bolstering defense around the Strait of Hormuz with partners,” said Hawkins.

Earlier today, Iranian state-linked media reported that navy commander Shahram Irani said that Iran and Saudi Arabia, as well as three other Gulf states, namely the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain, planned to form a naval alliance that would also include Iraq, India and Pakistan. Although Irani didn’t specify details, he said that the countries of the region have realized that only cooperation with each other brings security to the area.

The claim from a single Iranian military officer is certain to raise skeptical eyebrows far from US 5th Fleet, which is based in Bahrain, since it would mean not only have relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia warmed dramatically enough for a military alliance, but that long-time antagonists India and Pakistan would also closely cooperate on the high seas. As of this report, the foreign ministries of the countries purportedly involved have not publicly responded to the Iranian claim. (Senior officials from Iran, Saudi Arabia and India met late last week at the BRICS emerging economies session in South Africa.)

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https://breakingdefense.com/2023/06/exclusive-us-says-irans-claimed-naval-alliance-with-saudi-gulf-nations-defies-reason/