"The army navy has been present in all the strategic straits in the world to date, and we have not been present in only 2 straits, and we will be present in one of these straits this year. We are planning to be present in the Panama Canal," The commander of the Iranian Army Navy Rear Admiral Shahram Irani stated in a ceremony in Tehran on Wednesday.
"Today we have to strengthen our maritime presence in international waters and today we can say that there is no scientific barrier to grow in that field," he continued, adding that the Iranian naval forces are sailing in the Pacific Ocean for the first time.
Saying that Australia and the French posed threats to Iranian naval forces' mission in the Pacific Ocean in violation of the maritime rules, the Iranian navy commander stated, " But, we responded to them with might in accordance with the law."
Elsewhere in his remarks, Rear Admiral Irani pointed to the coasts of Makran in southeast Iran as important for the country saying the development plans in those regions are seriously being pursued.
He also called for establishing economic and industrial centers next to the sea for export and import issues and stressed using seawater in steel and petrochemical industries.
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