Navy Foils Pirate Attack on Iranian Oil Tanker
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Navy's 32nd fleet of warships thwarted a pirate attack on an Iranian oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Yemen.
The military forces on board Jamaran destroyer and Bushehr logistic vessel, known as the 32nd naval fleet of Iran, rescued the oil tanker 120 miles southeast of al-Mukalla, a main sea port in the southern coast of Yemen.
Pirates on board a number of speed boats were forced to flee the scene after the timely presence of the Iranian forces. The oil tanker survived without suffering any damage.
It was the fourth anti-piracy operation the 32nd fleet carried out during its overseas mission across the northern parts of the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.
The 32nd fleet set sail from Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas on November 4, 2014, for the Gulf of Aden in a bid to protect the country's cargo ships and oil tankers in the international waters.
On December 29, 2014, the fleet performed a successful anti-piracy operation around the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait while it was patrolling in nearby waters as part of the units participating in Army's massive wargames in southern and southeastern Iran.
Since November 2008, the Iranian navy has conducted anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden and Bab el-Mandeb strait to protect the country's vessels against pirate attacks.
Under the terms of several UN Security Council resolutions, nations can deploy warships to the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters of Somalia to protect their vessels against the pirates and, after giving notice to Somali government, enter Somali territorial in pursuit of the pirates.