Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Mikail Zakharov
[REGNUM] Iran intends to "form a new maritime coalition for operations in the northern Indian Ocean," Tehran's Mehr news agency reported . This statement was made by the commander of the naval forces of the Islamic Republic, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani. Among the alleged coalition partners, the commander-in-chief of the Iranian Navy first mentioned Saudi Arabia. The Saudis, in the recent past, the worst opponents and competitors of Iran in the region, after the historic reconciliation (which happened with the participation of China), if not partners of Tehran, then at least benevolent neighbors. Further, among the possible participants in the naval coalition, Irani mentioned Qatar (with which the Saudis and Iranians also traditionally do not have the best relations), several other countries of the Persian Gulf - Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain. Last but not least, Iran has invited two other well-known nuclear-weapon opponents, Pakistan and regional superpower India, into the “ Coordination Coalition”.
| India and Pakistan? Is that alliance likely? |
Although the authorities of all of the above states have not officially confirmed the information, the media, citing the Qatari news site Al-Jadid, reports: Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman have begun consultations - we note, under the coordination of the same China. The purpose of the talks is to ensure the safety of navigation in the Persian Gulf. |