TEHRAN, June 15: Defence ministers from close allies Iran and Syria on Thursday signed an agreement for military cooperation against the “common threats” presented by Israel and the United States.

In a joint press conference, Iranian Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar and visiting Syrian counterpart Hassan Turkmani said their talks had been aimed at consolidating their defence efforts and strengthening support for one another.

“Our cooperation is based on a strategic pact and unity against common threats. We can have a common front against Israel’s threats,” Turkmani told reporters after two intensive rounds of talks with Najjar.

“Our cooperation with the Iranians against Israeli threats is nothing secret and we regularly consult about this with our friends,” he said.

Before the press conference, Iran’s defence ministry said the two sides stressed strengthening mutual ties and the necessity to preserve peace and stability in the region.

The defence ministry statement also said they discussed ridding the region of weapons of mass destruction, in an apparent reference to Israel which is believed to possess more than 200 nuclear warheads.—AFP