Iran + GCC states to set up joint naval task force: Iran will partner with a number of Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman to set up a joint naval force in the Arabian Gulf, Iranian media quoted an Iranian naval commander as saying on Friday. Iraq, Pakistan and India will also join the initiative, he said. There has been no confirmation from the other countries regarding the alliance.

UAE leaves US-led naval force: The announcement came a few days after the UAE saidit had stopped participating in the US-led naval task force in the region — the Combined Maritime Forces — a few months ago as part of an “ongoing evaluation of effective security cooperation with all partners.” Questions surrounding the task force’s mandate and rules of engagement led the UAE’s decision to withdraw, a source close to the matter told the Financial Times.

ALSO WORTH NOTING-

  • Divided response over Ukraine peace plan: A peace plan to end the war in Ukraine put forward by Indonesia’s defense minister has triggered criticism from Western and Ukrainian officials but praise from China, reports the Financial Times. Prabowo Subianto’s plan calls for a ceasefire, the creation of a demilitarized zone, and a UN-backed referendum in disputed territories in the east of the country, suggestions which underline the difficulties that the US and Europe face in persuading many developing countries to criticize Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the salmon-colored paper writes.
  • Train crash in India kills hundreds: A three-way train crash in India killed at least 280 people and left around 900 injured, marking the country’s deadliest rail disaster in nearly two decades, according to the Associated Press. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry expressed its condolences in a statement yesterday.
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