A high-ranking Iranian military commander says the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy plans to hold joint naval exercises with foreign military forces in the northern tip of the Indian Ocean within the next few weeks.
Navy chief Rear Admiral Shahram Irani told IRIB news agency in the capital Tehran on Tuesday that the Iranian naval forces along with naval units from a dozen countries will stage a military exercise by the end of the current Iranian calendar, which concludes on March 19.
Commenting on Iran’s missions in high seas, the commander noted that Iranian Navy units have been deployed in international waters since 2009 to protect naval routes and provide security for merchant vessels and tankers.
The Iranian Navy has been conducting patrols in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea ever since, safeguarding the country’s interests in the strategic water bodies, Irani pointed out.
