Local Editor
Iranian naval fleet has crossed the Strait of Malacca for the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and it will enter the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday.
The Islamic Republic’s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said the Iranian Navy’s 24th fleet of warships, comprising Sabalan destroyer and Kharg helicopter carrier, had set sail for the Malacca Strait to provide security for the route, adding that the fleet would enter the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday.
“For the first time since the Islamic Revolution, the Naval Forces of the Islamic Republic have crossed the Strait of Malacca,” Sayyari said on Monday.
Sayyari stressed the importance of the north Indian Ocean and southeastern Asia to Iran, because of the commercial vessel traffic through the Straits of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb and Malacca.
Kharg helicopter carrier is 207 meters long and the largest of its kind in West Asia. The carrier operates as a backup aircraft transport for the Iranian Navy’s destroyers in international waters. The Strait of Malacca is a narrow 805-kilometer (500-mile) stretch of water between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
After leaving the Strait of Malacca, the Iranian fleet will cruise northwards into the Pacific Ocean and dock at the Chinese Port of Zhangjiagang and the Port of Colombo in Sri Lanka, the Iranian commander added.
The dockings are aimed at “extending the Iranian nation's message of friendship to the countries of China and Sri Lanka,” Sayyari said.
In recent years, Iran’s Navy has been increasing its presence in international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for Iranian merchant vessels and tankers.
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Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has wrapped up its three-day ground and air military exercises codenamed “The Great Prophet 8” in the eastern part of the Islamic Republic.  On the last day of the maneuvers on Monday, IRGC tanks launched massive strikes against the positions of the mock enemy. The drills were held in the eastern regions of the country, including the cities of Kerman and Sirjan. On the final day of the war games, the IRGC forces used Tondar and Tosan anti-armor missiles, anti-helicopter Katyusha rocket launchers, new tank shells, anti-aircraft guns, 20mm, 23mm and 30mm auto cannons as well as different types of reconnaissance and combat drones. The three-day drills also involved the use of various techniques and tactics of passive defense in asymmetric warfare. During “The Great Prophet 8” maneuvers, the IRGC Ground Forces attacked mock enemy positions using intelligence provided by surveillance drones. Special modern warfare units conducted drills and various types of unmanned aerial vehicles were also tested. |