Iran, Saudi Arabia discuss scope of improving military ties amid Israel-Hamas war
Story highlights
The latest sign of Riyadh and Tehran's increasing proximity comes amid a flurry of Iranian diplomatic and defence activities playing out during an unprecedented blowout of regional tempers in the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas.
Iran is now looking to capitalise on its restored ties with longtime rival, the Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia, as well as neighbouring Arab states at a time when Washington-Tehran ties are facing testing times.
Major General Mohammed Hossein Bagheri, chief-of-staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, called Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman to purportedly state Tehran's desire to promote military relations between the two West Asian powerhouses, among other regional matters, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
The Saudi Defence Ministry also acknowledged the call, stating that "bilateral relations between the two countries in the military and defence field were reviewed, and a number of topics of common interest were discussed."
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A deal brokered in March by China saw Iran and Saudi Arabia restore relations after a seven-year rift.
Besides, Saudi Arabia has also looked to diversify its international relations, by forging closer ties with China and Russia; both of which share close ties with Iran. These bilateral convergences, in fact, have brought Tehran and Riyadh into diplomatic proximity as the latter has successfully dissociated itself from American belligerence in the region against Iran.
What does it mean?
The latest sign of Riyadh and Tehran's increasing proximity comes amid a flurry of Iranian diplomatic and defence activities playing out during an unprecedented blowout of regional tempers in the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas.
Also watch | Saudi-Iran ties: a new beginning in West Asia?
The US has heightened its force posture in the Persian Gulf as well as the Eastern Mediterranean in an attempt to deter the conflict from spreading as a growing number of militias, many with ties to Iran.
Iran has protested the presence of US ships operating in nearby waters, including the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier this week, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had sent drones in the Strait of Hormuz amid the operations of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and its strike group.
The incident was confirmed and described as "unsafe, unprofessional and irresponsible" in a statement issued Wednesday by US Naval Forces Central Command
The US carrier strike group was said to have been "conducting routine flight operations in the international waters of the Central Arabian Gulf when it detected an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)," which was "visually identified as Iranian."
The incident is the latest in a long history of confrontations between US and Iranian vessels operating in a strategic waterway that constitutes one of the world's most important chokepoints for maritime oil traffic.
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