Iran's Navy Commander visited Beijing on Thursday to discuss naval cooperation with the Chinese defense minister amid disputes over Tehran's nuclear program.

China's Defense Minister Chang Wanquan told visiting Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari that Beijing plans to strengthen its military ties with Tehran, China's state media reported.

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Chang said China is looking to enhance "pragmatic cooperation and the uninterrupted development of ties between the two militaries," state-run Xinhua newspaper quoted the minister as saying.

Sayyari confirmed that Tehran wants to enhance its bilateral ties with the Asian giant, particularly in terms of naval cooperation.

People's Liberation Army Daily, the media wing of the Chinese army, said the admiral has been given tours of a Chinese submarine and warships and has been given an introduction to the Chinese navy's "equipment abilities and weapons systems."

The meeting comes a month after the two countries launched an unprecedented joint military exercise in which China sent a missile frigate and a destroyer to the Persian Gulf, a body of water where 20 percent of the world's petroleum passes.

China is the largest Iran oil buyer and has been most aggressive in purchasing crude since the U.N. Security Council partially lifted Western sanctions intended to press Iran to abandon its nuclear program.

Last week, the head negotiator for the West, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, announced that some progress have been made in the nuclear talks that hope to end a decade-old dispute over Iran's nuclear capabilities ahead of the Nov. 24 deadline.

China is a major participant in the negotiations, the report added.

China has been strengthening its ties with the United States' rivals, including Russia, to challenge American naval presence in the Asia Pacific region, according to ABC News.

The five-day naval exercise was seen in the West as China's attempt at flexing its growing naval capabilities, according to the Times of Israel. International pundits also believe that the naval cooperation between countries is intended to reinforce Iran's naval forces in the Gulf region, reported Reuters.

TagsChina-Iran, military cooperation, Xinhua, Iran nuclear program, military ties