The remark was made by Maj. Gen. Ataollah Salehi in the welcoming ceremony of the 38th flotilla that was on a mission to Gulf of Aden and the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, adding “an Arab warship belonging to the coalition had threatened an Iranian oil tanker for an inspection but once it became aware of the presence of Iran’s Navy flotilla, it quickly left the area.”
He noted that the Navy’s presence in international waters aims at preserving and protecting the territorial waters of the Islamic Republic of Iran, adding “Iran’s presence next to other countries’ navies in international waters and its assigned missions are an indication of the country’s military and defense strength.”
According to the army chief, Iran has been present in international waters with the message of peace and friendship and have displayed the Islamic Republic’s superiority in line with boosting its deterrent capability.
He stressed that Iranian flotillas on open waters are dispatched on their missions without relying on help from coastal states, adding “transgressive international and trans-regional warships, however, enter the Persian Gulf with the support and reliance on south Persian Gulf littoral states.”
“Maritime sovereignty means displaying strength at seas without transgression. If any threat or transgression were to happen, Iran’s Navy would give the firmest and most severe responses to the transgressor,” he said.
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