General Chief of Staff Fayyad al-Ruwaili of the Saudi armed forces held talks with his Iranian counterpart in Tehran, marking a significant step in defence ties between the two regional powers following their diplomatic rapprochement last year.

Al-Ruwaili met with Mohammad Baqeri, chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, to explore ways to strengthen military cooperation, Xinhua news agecy reported quoting Iran’s Fars news agency.

During the meeting, Baqeri extended an invitation for Saudi naval forces to participate in an Iranian maritime exercise planned for next year, either as an active participant or observer.