Iran is planning to send its 24th fleet, comprised of a submarine and a warship,
to the Mediterranean sea, the Red Sea, and the Suez Canal, Iranian naval
commander Adm. Habibollah Sayyari said on Thursday.
Sayyari is
quoted by the semi-official news agency Press TV as saying that, “The Navy’s
24th fleet of warships will patrol the Red Sea, Suez Canal and the Mediterranean
Sea for three months.”
Sayyari stated that the purpose of the Iranian
deployment is to patrol the high seas and display the great capabilities of the
Islamic Republic, commenting that the ships will “counter any threat against the
interests of the Islamic Republic.”
The Iranian naval commander said that
Iran’s presence in the Red Sea would tighten security for all countries.”We
announce that we are able to provide security in the region with the help of all
neighboring countries,” he said.
Ships are to also patrol “the north of
the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden, Bab-el- Mandeb...and even as far as
southeastern Asian countries,” Press TV reported.
