Senior Saudi Arabian and Iranian military officials have discussed bilateral defense cooperation. This development follows US President-elect Donald Trump's strong show of support for Israel and his hardline stance toward Iran during his campaign.

Iran's state-run TV reported that Saudi armed forces chief of staff Fayyad al-Ruwaili met his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Bagheri, in Tehran on Sunday.

It said Bagheri expressed interest in Saudi Arabia participating in Iran's naval exercise next year.

The broadcaster added that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke by phone on Sunday. It noted that they expressed hope bilateral cooperation would grow.

Saudi Arabia and Iran were at odds with each other for many years. But relations between the two Middle Eastern countries have been improving since they agreed to normalize diplomatic ties in March 2023. The agreement was mediated by China.

Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, received US backing to explore better ties with Israel during Trump's presidency. But they oppose Israel's military action in Gaza and other parts of the region.

Attention is focused on how Arab countries will proceed following Trump's winning of a second term.