MNA � The Commander of Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said Mon. the leader of the Islamic during a call had ordered naval forces to embark on voyages in the oceans whenever they are ready.

Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi made the remarks in a conference at AJA University of Command and Staff in Tehran, during which he quoted the Leader of Islamic Republic Ayatollah Khamenei too as saying "the presence of power in the sea per se is a sign of power, so if we want to be in the sea, we need knowledge, technology, specialist human forces and very advanced equipment.�

Khanzadi further said that in line with the instructions of the Leader, the Iranian naval forces are making huge achievements in the sea.

He further quoted the Iranian Leader as saying that during a phone call this morning from his office to him he ordered the naval forces � to embark on oceanic voyages whenever they are ready.�

With regard to plans for going on oceanic voyages, the commander of the Navy said that with deploying 58 flotillas since a long time ago, the Army's navy has taken measures to combat piracy and to establish maritime security.

Khanzadi further emphasized the importance of active defense diplomacy, saying "if we have a political and defensive diplomacy, we can defeat the enemies� strategy of imposing sanctions."

He further explained that the enemies are seeking to lay the ground to gain other countries� cooperation with their plans through waging a media warfare, adding the active defense diplomacy can defeat majority of those psychological warfare.

Pointing to the Iran�s two-year presidency over the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), the navy commander further said �we have planned that during the first six months of next year to have a joint search and rescue operations in cooperation with other countries."