Commander Rejects Report of Iran’s Naval Exit from Gulf of Aden
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari rejected as an “outright lie” the reports alleging that Egyptian warships have forced an Iranian naval fleet to leave the Gulf of Aden.
“The Iranian warships ensure security of the shipping lines and fight against piracy and do not let any fleet to give irrelevant warnings,” Rear Admiral Sayyari said.
He made the comments in response to the reports by an Arab website which claimed that Iran’s warships were forced to leave the Gulf of Aden after receiving a warning from Egypt’s military vessels.
Such report is an “outright lie,” the Iranian commander explained.
Sayyari noted that Iran’s naval forces are normally carrying their mission in north of the Indian Ocean and patrol the high seas under the international regulations.
Iran’s navy announced on March 28 that its 33rd fleet of warships departed India's port city of Cochin for home after more than two months of sailing in international waters.
The naval fleet, consisting of Vice-Admiral Qandi destroyer, Bandar Abbas logistic-combat warship and Tareq submarine, had left Iran for the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea in January in a bid to protect cargo ships and oil tankers in international waterways.
