Iranian military chief urges regional unity to confront Israel
Iran’s Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri said on Tuesday that “the only way” to confront Israel is unity among regional countries.
Baqeri made the remarks in a meeting with his visiting Omani counterpart Vice Admiral Abdullah Khamis Al Raisi in Tehran, IRNA reported.
During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the situation in the region, especially Israel’s atrocities against Palestinian people in Gaza and strongly condemned the US-Israeli plan to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
US President Donald Trump floated the idea of relocating Palestinians last month, saying he would urge the leaders of Jordan and Egypt to take in Gaza’s now largely homeless population, so that “we just clean out that whole thing.” He added that resettling most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million could be temporary or long term.
Trump’s plan drew condemnations from many countries, especially the region’s Arab states.
Baqeri said that ties between Iran and Oman are strong and stable, but given recent developments in the region, the relations need to be expanded more than ever.
He also underlined that development of maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman is necessary to combat smuggling and ensure maritime security. Iran and Oman share a maritime border along the Gulf of Oman.
Baqeri invited Oman to participate in the Maritime Security Belt naval drill hosted by Iran.
Back in October 2024, Iran and Oman held a joint maritime rescue and relief exercise involving the naval forces of both countries in the Indian Ocean and the Strait of Hormuz.
The Omani official, for his part, said that good coordination has been formed to expand the interaction between the two sides in the fields of naval exercises and maritime security police.
Al Raisi underlined that nations of the region are the main owners of this region but some trans-regional countries are seeking to sow discord among regional countries.