TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Iranian Navy commander announced that the country’s 35th flotilla of warships has foiled 4 pirate attacks on Iranian and foreign cargo ships and oil tankers during its 3-month-long mission in the Gulf of Aden.
Commander of the Iranian Navy’s Base in the Southern Zone Rear Admiral Ebrahim Ashkani said that the country’s 35th fleet of warships has sailed in international waters for 90 days, and mentioned that during its mission the flotilla escorted 150 oil tankers and ships, clashed with pirates in four cases and gave swift response to the SOS messages of three foreign vessels with Liberia, Malta and Hong Kong flags.
Addressing a ceremony to welcome the return of the 35th flotilla of warships to the Iranian waters on Thursday, he said, “The 36th fleet will be sent to the (Gulf of Aden) region with the goal of establishing security and conveying the message of peace.”
His remarks came after the Iranian Navy’s 35th fleet of warships rescued 2 foreign cargo vessels in the Gulf of Aden after fierce battles with pirates in August.
“After receiving an SOS message from a foreign trade vessel in the Gulf of Aden last night, the Navy’s 35th fleet of warships rushed to the scene and opened heavy fire on the pirates and forced them to escape the scene,” Iranian Navy Deputy Commander Rear Admiral Seyed Mahmoud Moussavi said last month.
He said after they were defeated and failed in their first attack, the pirates sought to hijack another foreign cargo ship in the same region but the swift action of the Iranian warships killed their plot in the bud.
Moussavi said the pirates raided the first cargo ship with 6 heavily equipped boats and the second one with 12 boats, but after facing the Iranian warships’ strong reaction, they fled the Gulf of Aden towards the Somali coasts at a high speed.
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Via: http://english.farsnews.com/
