TEHRAN The Iranian Navys 29th fleet of warships on Saturday morning thwarted an attempt by pirates to hijack an Iranian commercial ship in the Red Sea, Rear Admiral Siavash Jarreh said, according to the public relations department of the Iranian Navy.The deputy commander of the Navy said that Iranian naval warships intercepted seven pirate boats that had surrounded and attacked the commercial ship and forced them to flee after clashing with them for several hours, Rear Admiral Siavash Jarreh said.
The 29th fleet of warships, comprised of the Khark logistic helicopter carrier and the Sabalan destroyer, will dock in an African country over the next few days, according to the Navys statement.
Pirates operating off the coast of Somalia have expanded the reach of their hijacking attacks on merchant vessels and oil tankers in the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden, and the Red Sea in recent years, making tens of millions of dollars in ransom, despite the fact that dozens of foreign naval vessels are patrolling the area.
By Tehran Times
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