According to the Deputy of Maritime Affairs at the Iranian Ports Organisation, Majid Ali-Nazi, Iranian gateways are required for Saudi Arabia to reach the countries that constitute the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
The CIS is a pan-Eurasian organisation with its headquarters in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. It is made up of twelve countries that belonged to the Soviet Union. This organisation counts among its members the countries of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, in addition to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan.
The official from Iran was reportedly quoted by “Middle East News” as saying that maritime relations with the Kingdom should be examined in light of Saudi Arabia’s desire to access the countries that comprise the CIS.
Majid emphasised that even though the Iranian, Emirati (United Arab Emirates, UAE), and Saudi maritime alliance pertains to the military field, the countries have formed working groups with neighbouring countries, both in the north of the country among the countries of the CIS and in the south of the country with Gulf region countries, and interactions have been reached to develop maritime trade, passenger and tourism transportation, and a cooperation memorandum is in the final stages of being.
On June 2, Frontier India reported that Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Oman were negotiating to form a joint naval force facilitated by China.
Later on June 3, the Iranian media reported that the Iranian Navy was getting close to creating a naval alliance with other Gulf powers such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Admiral Shahram Irani, the Commander of the Iranian Navy, is reported to have made this statement while participating in a televised interview, as reported by the Fars News Agency.
According to the Iranian commander, a naval alliance will soon be established between regional nations, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Iraq.
Majid classified the Iranian-Emirati-Saudi maritime alliance as a strategic issue, noting that the policy of commercial transportation between Iran and Saudi Arabia is not tied to the restart of relations between the two nations but rather has historical precedents. He said this to show that the policy of commercial transportation between Iran and Saudi Arabia is separate from the resumption of relations between the two nations. On the other hand, the political climate is shifting, making it simpler for the two countries to establish commercial ties with one another.
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told the French newspaper Le Figaro on May 30 that Tehran and Riyadh agreed to deepen commercial and economic links, highlighting that Iran’s reconciliation with Saudi Arabia is not a tactical move.
In response to a question questioning whether Saudi Arabia had requested to develop a direct marine route within the allotted time, the Iranian official provided their response. According to him, Iran has yet to receive an official request in the specialist sector to reach CIS. According to what he said, Iran is currently waiting for the quality of issues to be raised within the comprehension of the maritime commercial transportation industry and high-level documents so that circumstances can be set appropriately.
Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, the United States Fifth Fleet spokesperson, told Breaking Defence on June 4 that it defies logic that Tehran will shortly form a naval alliance with Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf nations.
According to Breaking Defence, US 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces Spokesperson, Commander Tim Hawkins, stated that it defies logic that Iran, the leading source of regional instability, claims it wishes to form a naval security alliance to safeguard the very waters it threatens. Over the past two years, Iran has attacked or seized 15 merchant ships flying international flags, he stated elsewhere.
According to him, the US is fortifying defences around the Strait of Hormuz with its allies because actions matter.
The US appears threatened because its fifth fleet is stationed in Bahrain, particularly in light of the recent thawing of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which followed seven years of tense diplomatic relations. The Chinese brokered the deal.
As a result of an assessment of its security ties, the UAE withdrew from the US-led Middle East Maritime Security Alliance two months ago, making the rapid developments more distressing for the US.
According to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Iran and Saudi Arabia are two huge countries whose recent agreement would affect the dynamics of the surrounding area. He said that Tehran would not accept Riyadh’s classification as its adversary or Saudi Arabia’s perception of Iran as an enemy, highlighting that the United States and Israel are Iran’s principal adversaries. He spoke about the “Iranophobia policy” that, according to him, Washington and Tel Aviv are adopting to undermine regional security and stability.