Iran is "supportive" of Qatar’s government and citizens, a top commander and head of a visiting delegation told the official Islamic Republican News Agency in Doha this week.

The “ground is ready for development of co-operation with Qatar and we are doing our best to have stronger relations with Doha,” Deputy Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' Navy Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri told IRNA on Tuesday.

The commander called for collective co-operation among the “littoral states” of the Arabian Gulf to “uphold security”.

The group visited the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference, which involved 180 participants from 30 countries. The sixth round of the Middle East Naval Commanders Conference was held on March 13.

Arab and Gulf states , boycotting Qatar since June 2017, have warned against Doha’s ties to Iran, which they accuse of supporting militia groups in several Arab countries.