TEHRAN: Iran proposed a Muslim security alliance for the Middle East during talks with Turkey on Monday. The plan included Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Acting Iranian Defence Minister Brigadier General Majid Ebn al-Reza raised the plan during the call. Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler joined the discussion. Ebn al-Reza said the recent war showed regional countries should manage their own security.
He argued that foreign military forces increased mistrust, uncertainty and instability. The proposal would also involve other Muslim countries, according to the Iranian state-linked news agency.
Iran released no membership rules, command structure, mutual-defence clause, treaty text or timetable. The Iranian account said Guler supported dialogue, regional cooperation and initiatives to lower tensions.
However, it did not say Guler accepted the proposed alliance or committed Turkey to membership. The account also stated there were no membership commitments from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or Egypt.
Ebn al-Reza said Tehran wanted broader defence, military and security cooperation with Ankara. He specifically cited counterterrorism, border security and regional affairs as possible areas of work.
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Guler supported the full implementation of the Iran-US ceasefire memorandum, according to the Iranian account. A separate four-country grouping of Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt has already increased coordination.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies described that arrangement as informal in May. It said the group remained unlikely to become a defence alliance despite closer coordination on shared security concerns.
