Iran dispatches new combat flotilla to high seas on 'heavy mission'
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The Navy commander Shahram Irani states that the flotilla was deployed on a "heavy and multidimensional mission."
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This undated photo provided by the Iranian army shows the navy's support ship Kharg (Iranian Army via AP)
Iran's Navy has launched a new combat and training flotilla to the high seas with a multifaceted purpose.
The fleet, which included the Bushehr and Tunb battleships, left the southern port city of Bandar Abbas on Friday during a ceremony attended by Rear Admiral Shahram Irani.
During the event, the Navy Commander stated that the flotilla was deployed on a "heavy and multidimensional mission."
He divulged that the Navy troops on board the fleet would be trained in the mission to prepare them to take on delicate tasks in the future, detailing that Iranian forces maintained a presence on the high seas and oceans despite the plans of their enemies.
On January 1, an advanced destroyer belonging to the Iranian Navy fleet entered the Red Sea through the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Irani cited the Navy's two important operations in recent months, including the capture of a US oil ship in the Sea of Oman, and stated that the Iranian Armed Forces and Navy remain unwavering in their protection of national interests.
Iran's navy has confiscated an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman waters following "a court order" authorizing the move, state media reported on Thursday.
"The Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran captured an American oil tanker in the waters of the Gulf of Oman, in accordance with a court order," the official IRNA news agency said.
The Admiral stated that four Iranian combat flotillas were also on international seas at the same time that the new fleet was being deployed.
In recent years, Iran's Navy has become self-sufficient in the production of surface and subsurface boats. It has also strengthened its presence in international waterways to safeguard naval channels and protect commerce ships and tankers.
In August, Iranian leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei hailed the round-the-globe mission by the Iranian Navy’s 86th flotilla.
The presence of the Navy in remote waters such as the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, according to the leader, contributes to national security.
"The United States and other superpowers monopolize general issues pertaining to mankind. If they could, those powers would even claim the seas in their name so that others would not have access to the natural resource," Khamenei stated, adding that "by your presence and your vigilance in countering their hostile behavior in order to thwart your voyage, you proved that the high seas belong to all."
The leader referred to the obstacles erected by the United States in maritime transportation, stating that it made no sense for them to claim that ships would not be allowed to pass through certain straits and that "the sea and the air must be free for all nations and security of shipping and maritime transport must be ensured for all."
