“The Iranian Navy has escorted more than 2,000 oil tankers and cargo ships in the open seas and it has engaged in more than 150 fierce clashes,‚Äù Admiral Sayyari said on Friday.
He reiterated that Iran has 3,000 kilometers of sea borders in the Northern and Southern parts of the country which is equal to one third of the country’s total borders.
The Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, when Somali raiders hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, MV Delight, off the coast of Yemen.
According to UN Security Council resolutions, different countries can send their warships to the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters of Somalia against the pirates and even with prior notice to Somali government enter the territorial waters of that country in pursuit of Somali sea pirates.
The Gulf of Aden – which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea – is an important energy corridor, particularly because Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West via the Suez Canal.
Via: http://english.farsnews.com/
