June 3 (Reuters) - Iran's navy commander said his country and Saudi Arabia, as well as three other Gulf states, plan to form a naval alliance that will also include India and Pakistan, Iranian media reported on Saturday.
Iran has recently been trying to mend its strained ties with several Gulf Arab states.
In March, Saudi Arabia and Iran ended seven years of hostility under a China-mediated deal, stressing the need for regional stability and economic cooperation.
Naval commander Irani said the states that will take part in the alliance also include the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, Pakistan, and India.
The UAE, which was the first Gulf Arab country to sign a normalization agreement with Israel in 2020, resumed formal relations with Iran last year.
Persons:
Shahram Irani, Irani, Toby Chopra
Organizations:
Naval, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Dubai Newsroom, Thomson
Locations:
Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan, Iran, China, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, Saudi, Arab, Israel, Morocco