Iran Fully Prepared to Repel Any Naval Threat

(FNA)- Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari underscored his forces' high level of preparedness to push back any possible threat to the nation.

"The young Naval forces are ready to confront any threat" and they will defeat the enemies in a humiliating way, Sayyari said, addressing Navy cadets in Tehran on Monday.

Stressing the Iranian Navy's high capabilities, he reminded that Iran is now present in the high seas in addition to the territorial waters, coasts and islands, and said, "We defend the Islamic Republic of Iran's interests anywhere needed."

Meantime, Sayyari stressed that Iran sends its warships to the international waters to ensure safe voyage of tradeships and to send a message of peace and friendship to the regional states and other countries across the world.

In relevant remarks on Sunday, Sayyari voiced strong opposition to the deployment of trans-regional troops in the Northern Indian Ocean, stressing that security of the regional waters can be protected by the regional naval forces.

"Maintaining security in Northern Indian Ocean is not in need of the trans-regional forces' presence," Sayyari said, addressing the Navy personnel in the Northern city of Rasht.

He described the Navy as a strategic force, and said, "A strategic force should be able to stage its presence and defend the resources, coasts, territorial waters and wherever the interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran are."

Noting that Iran's naval presence in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab Strait is in line with safeguarding the country's economic interests, Sayyari said, "Iran was among the first countries which deployed forces in the Red Sea to fight piracy and sea terrorism."

He also underlined that Iranian warships' deployment in international waters and visits to different countries' ports are in line with the country's policy of spreading peace and has been a source of inspiration for other nations.

Also earlier this month, Sayyari underscored the country's powerful presence in international waters, and said Iran was in control in 5 important world waterways.

"The world has 9 important waterways and Iran controls 5 of them," Sayyari said in a meeting with a delegation of Pakistani military cadets in Tehran.

He underlined the importance of security in the Gulf of Aden and free waters to Iran, and said the Iranian fleet of warships had had 200 anti-piracy combats and arrested pirates in three cases so far.

Elsewhere, Sayyari warned that the US and its allies were seeking to create insecurity in the region to justify their deployment in the regional waters, and said, "The security of every region should be established by the countries of that region; we don't want to deploy in the Gulf of Aden under the command of another country, although we are ready for close cooperation with the regional states."

The Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, when Somali raiders hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, MV Delight, off the coast of Yemen.

According to UN Security Council resolutions, different countries can send their warships to the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters of Somalia against the pirates and even with prior notice to Somali government enter the territorial waters of that country in pursuit of Somali sea pirates.

The Gulf of Aden - which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea - is an important energy corridor, particularly because Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West via the Suez Canal.

Last month, Iranian Navy warships rescued 2 oil tankers in the Gulf of Aden after battles with pirates. The Iranian Navy's 33rd Flotilla first thwarted the pirate attack on an Iranian oil tanker in the waters of the Gulf of Aden, and forced them to flee the scene.

The pirates later came back with 5 speed boats to attack another Iranian oil tanker, but they fled the scene after the Iranian warships rushed to the rendezvous point.

Last Sunday, Iranian Navy warships rescued a Filipino cargo vessel after fierce battles with pirates in the Sea of Oman.

The timely presence and action of the Iranian Navy's warships thwarted the attack by pirate speed boats, equipped with various weapons, on the Philippines-flagged Panama-gade cargo ship in the waters of the Sea of Oman, forcing the pirates to flee the scene.

The Iranian warships escorted the Filipino trade vessel to safe waters following the operation.