Iran’s Ministry of Defense reported that Majid Ibn al-Ridha, the head of the ministry, and Dato’ Sri Mohammad Khalid Nurdin, the defense minister of Malaysia, discussed in a telephone call the expansion of defense and military cooperation between the two countries. Ibn al-Ridha considered the transfer of experience, technological cooperation, and cooperation in the areas of maritime security and safety as appropriate fields for expanding relations between the two countries, and announced the Islamic Republic’s readiness to share its defense capabilities with Malaysia. The head of the Ministry of Defense, in this call, referred to Israel as the “main factor behind instability and insecurity in the region,” and said the Islamic Republic has paid a heavy cost for Iran’s independence and will not give in to intimidation.