Iran's official news agency says the country's navy plans to establish a new base near Pakistan's border in the Sea of Oman.

The plans are part of Iranian ambitions to exert its naval power outside the Persian Gulf, including sending warships to the Mediterranean and claiming it might someday have ships in the Atlantic.

The IRNA report on Sunday quotes Adm. Habibollah Sayyari as saying that the base will be built in Pasabandar, about 30 kilometers (100 miles) west of Pakistani major port of Gwadar.

Iran has conducted numerous naval drills in past years as it increases its presence in regional waterways.