The commander of the Iranian Navy, Admiral Sayyari, reiterates the need to equip Tehran with a fleet of high seas and re-launches the "blue waters" vocation of its naval force.
During the celebrations for the 28 Navy Day in November, Sayyari talked about "Interests in international waters" announcing other long-range missions for the near future, referring in particular to Atlantic routes, the circumnavigation of Africa and East Asia.
Already in October some units of the Iranian Navy sailed to South Africa after a stopover in Tanzania. The reference is to the mission of "peace and friendship" conducted by the 44a flotilla, whose command ship, the destroyer Alvand, would now be at anchor off Durban in South Africa. Despite the Alvand is actually a former frigate, reclassified together with three other units as destroyers after major modernization works, the most significant figure remains the projection of interests on an extra-regional scale of Iran, through the naval instrument.
Sayyari's announcement of more and more frequent missions on the high seas (five more planned for 2017) comes at an important transition moment for Iranian diplomacy and in particular for relations with the US. Pending Trump's inauguration in January, the skirmishes between Tehran and Washington on the subject of maritime security continue unabated.
One year after the arrest of US sailors in the Persian Gulf by naval departments of the Pasdaran, the Pentagon accuses Tehran of constant provocation and undermining regional stability. Only in September the last "close encounter" between the patrol vessel would have occurred USS Firebolt and small boats of attack of the Guardians of the Revolution (the Pasdaran precisely ...).
Iran for its part sends everything back to the sender, pointing the finger at American politics that represents a constant threat "Not only for Iranian territorial waters but for global security".
The Iranian Navy in addition to the new offshore vocation in unusual theaters, remains very active in the Gulf of Aden and along the coasts of the Horn of Africa in the activities of protection of merchant ships and commercial convoys. The ships escorted since the collaboration between Tehran and other navies engaged in anti-piracy operations would be more than 3000.
(photo: IRIN)
