Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said the biggest naval drill codenamed ‘Velayat 95’ will be staged in the North Indian Ocean to the 10 degrees latitude in mid-February, Mehr news agency reports.
Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari added that the presence of this massive naval force on open seas and to the 10 degrees latitude of Gulf of Aden and Bab-el-Mandeb is a highly significant policy that safeguards oil tankers and commercial vessels.
Noting that so far the Iranian naval forces have ensured the safety of 4000 vessels, Sayyari added “in every area on the sea where vessels belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran are carrying the country’s required energy and economic goods, the navy’s presence is essential to ensure that the vessels will not come under pirate attacks.”
He went on to add, “the navy also pursues naval diplomacy and maintaining relations with regional and extra regional countries in an attempt to transfer culture and display Iran’s military capabilities.”
“Iranian fleets have so far travelled as far as Indian Ocean littoral states and South East Asian countries, and in the near future, they will launch voyages to Atlantic and Pacific oceans as well,” he added.
“In the near future, Fateh class submarine, Sahand Destroyer and another missile-launching warship will be deployed to this flotilla,” he added.
