Press TV- Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari says the Iranian naval forces are making efforts to improve security in the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb?, considering security of those regions as a top priority.


“Today the most important issue on the agenda of [Iran’s] Navy is to provide security in the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb,” Sayyari said on Sunday.

He added that Iranian naval forces have so far escorted 3,850 Iranian commercial and tanker ships as well as 25 foreign vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb and the Gulf of Aden regions where pirates are active.

The Iranian naval fleets are currently present in the Gulf of Aden, Sayyari said, adding that the Alvand destroyer and the Bushehr logistic vessel were dispatched to the high seas on October 6 for a nearly five-month mission.
“For the first time, we have managed to sail around the Cape of Good Hope which is itself a record,” the Navy chief said, noting that new vessels would join the Navy soon.
In recent years, Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and hardware.

Iran has also conducted major military drills to enhance defense capabilities of its armed forces and to test modern military tactics and state-of-the-art army equipment.

The Islamic Republic has frequently announced that its military might poses no threat to other countries, stating that its defense doctrine is merely based on deterrence.

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