Tim Hawkins, spokesman for the U.S. Fifth Fleet and Combined Naval Forces, said the naval alliance Iran announced it intends to form with other Gulf states is illogical and absurd.
Hawkins added that Iran is primarily responsible for regional instability and wants to form a maritime security alliance to protect the waters that threaten it. The remarks came in response to Iranian Navy Commander Admiral Shahram Irani, who said his country would form new alliances that include Iran's navies and several countries. On May 22, Tehran appointed Alireza Enayati as its ambassador to Saudi Arabia, after the two countries decided to resume diplomatic relations.