Iran Army to send 24th Fleet to Mediterranean Sea

As the 24th fleet dispatched for 3 months, it will patrol northern Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden, the Bab-el-Mandeb, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean Sea, and even east to Southeast Asia.

As its recent mission, Iranian Army Naval Force, with its 23rd fleet in the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el-Mandeb, will head for Southeastern Asia, where the world’s second most strategic oil zone (after the Strait of Hormuz), the Strait of Malacca exists.

The Strait of Malacca (which along with the straits of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb comprises the most important marine triangle in the world) is a narrow stretch of water between Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. It connects the Andaman Sea in the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea in the Pacific Ocean. Singapore is to the southernmost part of the strait.

The Strait of Malacca is one of the most important sea passage ways. Port Blawan in Indonesia, Port Malacca, and Penang Port in Malaysia are among the most important waterways in the strait.

According to statistics, a quarter of world’s total crude passes through this strait, which is only second to the Strait of Hormuz as most important marine thoroughfare for oil transport.

With the spread of notorious sea piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, and the presence of fleets from about 30 countries, including Iran, the area has no longer home for pirates, making them spread their territory toward the Strait of Malacca.