Several Iranian naval vessels intercepted 22 Somali pirate boats that had surrounded and attacked a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday.
The cargo ship, named The Atlantic, was heading from Singapore to the Suez Canal with a consignment of minerals.
The Iranian naval vessels caught the pirates off guard as they were attempting to board the ship and fired warning shots to scare the pirates off.
However, the pirates would not back off, so the Iranian vessels were compelled to engage in a battle with the pirates, which forced them to flee.
Pirates operating off the coast of Somalia have expanded the reach of their hijacking attacks on merchant vessels and oil tankers in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden in recent months, making tens of millions of dollars in ransom, despite the fact that dozens of foreign naval vessels are patrolling the area.
HJ/HG
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MNA