Iran: Relations with Gulf states improving

Iranian Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Ali Shamkhani said defense relations between Iran and the Arab Gulf states are growing rapidly.

In a statement he made in Tehran on Wednesday, the Iranian minister added that the developed relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia are being strengthened and that the "constructive talks recently held between the two countries' officials resulted in an exchanged understanding between the two sides."

The Iranian minister added that the recent visit made by Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz to Iran dealt with means of finding and ensuring common ground and the means to have shared responsibilities between the two countries in order to establish peace on the basis of ensuring the collective interests and restoring investing local potentials and capacities for the countries of the Gulf region.

Shamkhani added that the position stand adopted by the GCC member states in their Jeddah meeting was the fruit of mutual understanding among the countries of the region, a position to be the political, cultural, economic, security and military means to counter challenges and maintain common efforts between the region's member states away from foreign intervention.