Cleric Underlines Significance of Iran’s Naval Presence in High Seas

Tehran’s provisional Friday Prayers Leader Hojjatoleslam Kazzem Sediqi stressed the importance of the Iranian Navy’s presence in international waters for the country’s security.
Addressing a large and fervent congregation of people on Tehran University campus today, Sediqi said that such naval presence will repel dangers.

“Though free international waters are general, presence of foreign naval fleets may raise dangers for the country; so, presence of domestic naval fleets will repel the dangers,” he stressed.

Last week, Leader of the Islamic Ummah And Oppressed People Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei underlined the peaceful nature of Iran’s presence in the high seas, but meantime said the growing might and power of the Iranian Navy, displayed through its presence in international waters, has worried the enemies of the country.

Addressing high-ranking officials of the Iranian Armed Forces in Southern Iran on Sunday, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to Iran’s naval presence in the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, Suez Canal and Bab al-Mandeb, and stated, “This presence has made enemies nervous and worried.”

“The strong presence of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Navy in the high seas is promising and inspiring for nations,” the Leader continued.

Iran has remarkably boosted its naval power in recent years. Early in July, Iran’s Yunes submarine, sailing alongside warships of the 14th fleet of the Iranian Navy, returned home from an almost two-month-long mission in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The deployment of Iranian military submarine in the Red Sea was the first such operation by the country’s navy in far-off waters.

Iran has also deployed warships in the Red Sea to combat Somali pirates.

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.

Iran’s naval power has even been acknowledged by foes. In a Sep. 11, 2008 report, the Washington Institute for the Near East Policy said that in the two decades since the Iraqi imposed war on Iran, the Islamic Republic has excelled in naval capabilities and is able to wage unique asymmetric warfare against larger naval forces.

According to the report, Iran’s Navy has been transformed into a highly motivated, well-equipped, and well-financed force and is effectively in control of the world’s oil lifeline, the Strait of Hormuz.