South Africa, Venezuela welcome enhanced defense ties with Iran

The navy commanders of South Africa and Venezuela have expressed their keenness to expand defense ties with Iran.

During a meeting with Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani on Sunday, Chief of South African Navy Vice-Admiral Monde Lobese expressed his country’s interest in strengthening cooperation between the two countries’ naval forces as much as possible.

Lobese also stressed that ” South Africa’s waters and ports are open to all Iran’s military and non-military vessels.”

For his part, Shahram Irani appreciated the African country for welcoming the Iranian Navy’s 86th flotilla of warships which anchored in the city of Cape Town as part of its round-the-world voyage, urging his South African counterpart to visit Iran and take part in naval drills.

The 86th flotilla of warships, comprised of domestically-manufactured Dena destroyer and Makran forward base ship, entered Iran’s territorial waters in May after sailing 63,000 kilometers of sea routes over eight months and a circumnavigation of the globe in 360 degrees as part of the Islamic Republic’s efforts to expand its naval presence in high seas.

The meeting between Iran and Lobese took place on the sidelines of Russia’s annual Navy Day event in Saint Petersburg.