A
question regarding Iran’s intention to create a naval alliance with Saudi
Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other Persian Gulf nations that will also
include India and Pakistan to protect regional stability was addressed by Wang
Wenbin, the spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Speaking at regular press briefing, Wang also noted that
“upholding the peace and stability of the Persian Gulf region in the Middle
East (West Asia) bears on the wellbeing of countries and people in the region.”
Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, the commander of the Iranian
navy, had announced earlier that Iran will create new intra- and extra-regional
partnerships to improve security.
“Today, regional countries have realized that the
establishment of security in the region requires synergy and cooperation,”
Irani stressed.
The Chinese spokesperson stressed the vital importance of
peace and stability in the region at the news conference in order to preserve
world peace, accelerate global economic growth, and maintain a steady supply of
energy.
“China supports regional countries in resolving disputes and
cultivating good-neighborliness and friendship through dialogue and
consultation,” Wenbin added.
Beijing,
he declared, will continue to contribute positively and constructively to the
cause of regional peace and stability.
US authorities were not pleased with Admiral Irani’s
announcement of the formation of a joint naval alliance.
Tim
Hawkins, the spokesman for the 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces,
purportedly said that Iran’s participation in a regional naval alliance defies
reason and that the Islamic Republic is the primary cause of maritime instability
in the Persian Gulf region.
The parameters of the regional alliance are taking shape a
year after the Israeli regime claimed that it, along with the United States and
regional Arab allies, would form a Middle East NATO to fight Iran's dominance in the region.
American and Israeli military leaders touted the notion
ahead of President Joe Biden’s July visit to West Asia.
The goal was to improve cooperation among allies in order to
defend each other against envisioned Iranian threats.
Israel’s hopes for a coalition against Iran, however, have
been dashed as a number of Persian Gulf Arab nations, led by Saudi Arabia, have
started to change their allegiances and normalize ties with Iran.
Iran
has recently made maritime breakthrough that can shake the US position in the
world including the 86th Naval Fleet, which included the home-built Dena
Destroyer, and came home last month after the first round of the world in a
mission dubbed 360-Degree.
The flotilla sailed across the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic
oceans without needing assistance from land for the first time in Iran’s naval
history.
It
departed from Bandar Abbas, a port city on the Persian Gulf, on September 20,
2022. It finally anchored at Oman’s Salalah harbor on the 236th day of its
journey. The flotilla traveled 63,000 kilometers and four times crossed the
equator.
Last month, Admiral Farhad Fattahi, the commander of Iran’s
86th Naval Fleet, outlined achievements of the flotilla after a round-the-world
voyage.
Admiral Fattahi emphasized that the first achievement of the
voyage can be mentioned as the design, production and operationalization of the
all-Iranian meteorological software, which was developed by Iranian youths in
the army and yielded fruitful results.
“Secondly, we have proven that the Iranian products are
totally trustworthy and reliable. It means that the Dena destroyer is an
Iranian product that is 100% reliable,” he added.
The
admiral continued, “Given the maritime diplomacy, one of the achievements is
that the flotilla docked in the port of Rio de Janeiro to mark the 120th
anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Iran and Brazil.”
“Another remarkable achievement is that Iran’s flag was
waved in the world’s four major oceans, seven seas and seven strategic
straits,” he noted.
The admiral also said that a unique phenomenon emerged in
the cultural sphere as the flotilla’s commanders and staff were representatives
of Iranian-Islamic cultural values.
Admiral
Fattahi remarked that during the mission, we used the home-built Dena destroyer,
whose capabilities grabbed the attention of other countries’ naval commanders
and forces. This came as no surprise that all naval commanders expressed
congratulations over building such a military feat.
