Commander of Iranian Naval Force to Al-Ahed: We’re Ready to Respond to Enemy

The Commander of the Naval Forces in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, warned the enemies of his country that any attack “on our interests and our Navy as well as our borders will face the wrath of our youth.”

Commander of Iranian Naval Force

He further stressed Iran’s full readiness and that Iran is fully prepared.

In an exclusive interview with the al-Ahed newswebsite, Sayyari talked about the development and achievements of the Iranian Naval Forces before and after the victory of the Islamic Revolution. He said, “Before victory of the Islamic Revolution, the commanders of the naval force trained in Western countries to establish specialized forces and gain experience.As regarding to the maintenance and repair of our equipment, we benefitedfrom foreign experts who have been working as advisers in Iran; they have had full control of the naval power materiel, and we only benefitedfrom the materiel.”

He continued: “Tactical – wise, especially in the maneuvers, we followed the West’s footsteps and any operation was done under the leadership and planning of these countries. Thus, on the level of tasks, we were only present in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and parts of the Sea of Oman, but now the situation has changed.Concerning decision-making, we were not independent and NATO was in charge of the decisions.And eventhe construction and production of installations, ports,wavebreakers and housing staff, the Westdid it on our behalf. Therefore, this implies that before the Islamic Revolution, the Naval Force in all aspects had been following foreigners”.

Henceforth, the commander of the Naval Force of the Iranian Army continued, “But now, and by the blessing of the Islamic Revolution, the situation has changed. All our commanders are trained at a high level with accordance to the international standards within the country; the biggest proof of this is that today, we navigate in the free water in different regions of the world.”

“As regarding materiel, we are doing the maintenance and repair of all our equipment without any outside help, and we even renew and produce materiel such as Jamaran, Pekan, Jochen and Damavand destroyers. Besides, today, we are responsible for deciding on the tactics necessary to plan our maneuvers as well as the production and construction of our facilities and ports,” he added.

Achievements and New Products

Sayyari pointed out that the achievements in the field of production included certain types of submarines in accordance to Tehran’s national needs. “Hence, we also produce the types of missile-launching destroyers that are fielded to the Marine force. Moreover regarding the development of weapon systems and smart arms and ammunition system as well as new tactics, we have reached the point of self-sufficiency. Henceforth, these achievements are displayed in various maneuvers that we perform.

Message behind Naval Force Maneuvers

Admiral Sayyari declared the message behind the maneuvers, “the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Imam Khamenei said: “a nation that cannot defend itself, cannot live”, I mean, when we have the power to deter high defensive power, we will prevent any attack on us; thus when the other party reconsiders its positions, it would believe that any attack on us would hurt it”.

He added that the drills have different dimensions. “First, you test tactics and weapons, and then bestow the experiences of the old generation to the new generation and coordinate between the combat units. However, the maneuvers are important in the sense that they convey a message of affection, friendship and peace to neighboring and friendly countries. Conversely, it does not mean that if our military strength increased that is in our intention to infringe on others; we just want to strengthen our defense. The other message on the other hand, is deterrence; everyone should know that we have a great deterrent force as we can defend ourselves.”

Sayyari said that the message behind the recent maneuvers performed was addressed to neighboring and friendly countries; it stated that if Iran’s military power and strategic marine forces increased, we do not intend to infringe on the interests, resources and borders of others, but we want to show our strength and defensive deterrence.
The Security of the Strait of Hormuz

In response to a question about the Hormuz Strait’s security, Sayyari clarified “We have said repeatedly that the Iranian naval force can control the Strait of Hormuz and secure the strait, the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea. Therefore we say that the Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Sea Oman’s security is in our hands. We want to impose security in the region. As I said when we fight against maritime terrorism in the north of the Indian Ocean and help any country in this area , we seek to implement security.”

Islamic Resistance’ Latest Operation

About Hizbullah’s heroic operation in the Shebaa Farms, the Iranian top commander emphasized: “This operation shows the capabilities of the Islamic Resistance, and that its men can respond at any time and place, especially if the rules and laws of the game have changed. Thus, the resistance proved that it has the power and capacity to respond to the enemy.”

Admiral Sayyari concluded: The Islamic Republic of Iran with its sacred objectives and wise leadership of Imam Khamenei will continue on the path of the Islamic Revolution, and will stand in front of any enemy threat. We do not want war with anyone nor are we searching for one; we just want to continue upon the blessings and goals of the revolution and abide by its slogan [independence, freedom, and the Islamic Republic]. The Islamic Republic will prevail through its material and moral energies

Source: al-Ahed news