Commander Underlines Iranian Navy’s Role in Securing Marine Routes
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian navy plays a significant role in ensuring security of the country’s trade cargoes in all shipping routes, a senior commander said today.
In a cultural ceremony held in Tehran on Saturday, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari praised the sacrifices of naval forces during eight years of the Iraqi imposed war on Iran in the 1980s, and added, “Today, one of the navy’s duties is also upholding and providing the security of linking routes and securing the sea for the country’s exports and imports.”
He further pointed to the navy’s missions in the high seas, saying, “We have been even providing security some 3,000 kilometers off the country’s maritime borders and in the Gulf of Aden for 4 years.”
Since November 2008, the Iranian navy has conducted anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden and Bab el-Mendeb strait to protect the country's cargo ships and oil tankers against pirates.
Under the terms of several UN Security Council resolutions, countries can deploy warships to the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters of Somalia to protect their vessels and nationals against the pirates and, after giving notice to Somali government, enter Somali territorial in pursuit of pirates.
The senior commander went on to say that the Sacred Defense -- a term used in Iran to refer to the Iraqi imposed war of 1980-1988 -- has brought about many achievements for the country, the greatest of which, he said, is the world’s admission that “the Islamic Republic of Iran will stand against all threats and will not bow down to anybody.”
In relevant remarks last week, Brigadier General Seyed Yahya Rahim Safavi, Supreme Leader’s adviser for military affairs, announced that Iran is recognized as an independent, powerful and influential country both in the region and in the world, has a great influence on international equations and can contribute to lasting peace and security.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran is recognized as an independent, powerful and influential country in the region and the world today, with a security strategy informed by justice-based peace,” he had noted.
Rahim Safavi added that "any plan or process for sustainable peace and security" in the region could only be attained through the active participation of the Islamic Republic which has proved to be an influential power in international equations, a status it owes in no small part to its powerful armed forces.
