Iran Navy role beyond guarding coasts

Iran’s Navy Commander Admiral Habibollah Sayyari says the force’s role during the eight-year Iraqi-imposed war went far beyond securing the country’s shorelines.

Iran’s economy and financial security is directly related to the Navy and its mission, an Iranian Army statement said on Tuesday.

“During the war, the Navy conducted 150 escort missions, guiding some 10,000 trade ships with a total cargo of 300 tons,” Admiral Sayyari said in the statement.

Referring to the 34-day operation which lead to the liberation of Khoramshahr, a key port city in southern Iran, Sayyari stressed that the “Iranian Navy was never caught by surprise.”

“The sole organized unit which was on the scene and defeated the enemy was a naval unit,” he was quoted as saying following a meeting with the Tehran Preachers Society on the eve of the Sacred Defense Week.

The admiral went on to praised the clergy for the “key” role they played during the war.