Speaking in an interview, Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said that after the Martyr Soleimani warship joined the IRGC Navy recently, the naval forces of the IRGC have gained the opportunity to be present in international waters, including in all seas and oceans.
The IRGC Navy commander said that over the past few years, there have been 9 occasions on which the IRGC Navy received domestically manufactured defense achievements the latest edition of which Martyr Soleimani locally designed combat patrol vessel was handed over to the IRGC naval forces.
He explained that the warship was built by young Iranian experts while the country has been under tough sanctions, adding that the local design and construction of the warship imply that the sanctions can be neutralized as the Leader of the Islamic Revolution has always insisted.
Admiral Tangsiri added that the young Iranian experts at the knowledge-based firms worked on the designing and manufacturing Martyr Soleimani warship for nearly the past three years.
The commander of the IRGC Navy further stated that the presence of the IRGC naval forces in the Persian Gulf has led to durable stability and the preservation of maritime security in that region, ensuring the countries of the region the naval forces under his command with their facilities and capabilities can ensure the security of the region in cooperation with them.
"Let's establish security in the Persian Gulf ourselves, as we have done so far."
The IRGC Navy commander also asserted that "No foreign country should be present in this region under the guise of establishing security, because the presence of foreigners has resulted in the violations of the maritime rights and marine life wherever they have been, and they have done nothing but creating division and sedition, plundering nations' properties."
With the joining of the Martyr Soleimani vessel to the IRGC Navy will be allowed to have a strong presence in the faraway waters and oceans, and establish a durable balance in the high seas, according to Admiral Tangsiri.
He elaborated more on the capabilities of the warship and said "This vessel is 67 by 18 meters on which the helicopter can board on its deck and it is a helicopter carrier. It can carry multiple rocket launchers and torpedoes in different operational classes."
He explained more Martyr Soelimani vessel was designed and manufactured by the "IRGC Navy Research and Self-Sufficiency Organization" and was unveiled on September 5 in a ceremony attended by the Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri.
MNA