Commander, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari: Iran Navy to send 35th flotilla to Gulf of Aden

Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari.

The 35th flotilla of the Iranian Navy plans to leave for the Gulf of Aden to safeguard naval routes for vessels operating in the region.

Iran's Navy chief, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, said on Sunday that the flotilla would depart for the strategic region on July 11. He added that the 34th flotilla has a 90-day mission to accomplish in the north of the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden, Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea.

The 34th flotilla, which comprises the Bushehr logistic vessel and Alborz destroyer, left Iran's southern port city of Bandar Abbas for the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Strait on April 8. Sayyari said fighting pirates and ensuring safety for Iranian vessels sailing in high seas are among objectives of the 35th flotilla.

File photo shows an Iranian warship.

Iran’s Navy has succeeded in passing more than 2,700 oil tankers or merchant vessels through the Gulf of Aden and had 200 clashes with pirates, he noted. In recent years, Iran’s Navy has increased its presence in international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for merchant vessels and tankers.

In line with international efforts against piracy, the Iranian Navy has been also conducting patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008 in order to safeguard merchant containers and oil tankers owned or leased by Iran or other countries. Iran’s Navy has managed to foil several attacks on both Iranian and foreign tankers during its missions in international waters.

Source: Press TV

Iran Sends Warships To Monitor Yemen’s Coast

Two Iranian vessels have arrived in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is on a bombing campaign against anti-government Houthi rebels.

Iranian Navy destroyer.

The Alborz destroyer and Bushehr logistics vessel are on a patrol mission in the Gulf of Aden, south of Yemen, and the Red Sea, according to Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari. He says the ships will “provide [safety for] Iran’s shipping lines and protect the Islamic Republic of Iran’s interests in the high seas,” Press TV reports.

According to Tehran officials, the warships will be protecting a crucial trade route against pirates. The Iranian Navy has been conducting such patrols since 2008.

Iran’s fleet is headed into troubled waters, as at the moment Yemen is blockaded off by a Saudi Arabia-led military coalition. They are on a bombing campaign against anti-government Houthi Shia rebels, whose uprising forced Yemen’s President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi to flee the country. He is currently in Saudi Arabia.

Iran has been vocal in calling for an end to the airstrikes against Houthis, which often end up hitting civilians. Saudi and Western officials believe Iran is directly supporting the Houthis with money and weapons, aiming to take control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast – something Tehran denies.

The fierce bombing campaign has led to over 560 deaths in just two weeks, according to the latest World Health Organization estimates. It describes the situation in Yemen as a rapidly-unfolding humanitarian catastrophe, with over 1,700 people wounded and 100,000 displaced.

An international evacuation effort is under way, with India alone rescuing some 4,000 of its citizens from the war zone. Russia is also taking part. So far, it has sent five airplanes to Yemen, rescuing its nationals, as well citizens of 11 other countries.

With the chaos triggered by the Houthi uprising and the airstrikes, militant and terrorist groups are finding it increasingly easy to operate in Yemen. Last week, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) captured the port city of Al Mukalla, seizing an army base and freeing 300 prisoners from a local jail.

On Tuesday, Al-Qaeda militants reportedly attacked an outpost on Yemen’s border with Saudi Arabia, killing several officers and taking over the checkpoint.