Iran expresses readiness to bolster military ties with Saudi Arabia

Iran, Thursday, expressed its readiness to bolster military ties with Saudi Arabia, months after the two Persian Gulf countries restored their diplomatic relations, Anadolu Agency reports.

The message was delivered by the top Iranian Military Commander in his phone conversation with Saudi Arabia’s Defence Minister on Thursday, state media reported.

Major-General Mohammad Baqeri, the Chief of Staff of Iranian armed forces, speaking to Saudi Arabian Defence Minister, Khalid Bin Salman Al Saud, hailed the development of relations between Tehran and Riyadh.

He expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia for hosting the extraordinary summit of the heads of Islamic countries on the situation in Gaza and announced Iran’s readiness to enhance military ties with the Arab country.

Among the issues discussed in the phone call were those pertaining to the Islamic world, including Palestine, and both of them invited each other to visit their respective countries.

The Saudi Minister welcomed the improvement in the level of cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries, state media reported.

Iran and Saudi Arabia restored their diplomatic ties in March after a hiatus of seven years following marathon two-year talks brokered by Iraq, Oman and China.

Last week, Iran’s President, Ebrahim Raisi, also had a first phone call with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohammad Bin Salman, discussing the situation in Palestine.

Mohammed Jamshidi, Raisi’s deputy Chief of Staff for political affairs, in a statement on X at the time, said the two “agreed on the need to end war crimes against Palestine.”

READ: Erdogan: Israel’s Netanyahu will go down in history as ‘butcher of Gaza’