Iranian Navy plans to expand presence to Atlantic Ocean: Iran`s admiral

TEHRAN,March 16(MNA) – Iran plans to expand its naval presence to the Atlantic Ocean during the next Iranian calendar year, which starts on March 21, the commander of the Iranian Navy said on Friday. “Our plan for the next year is presence in the Atlantic Ocean,” Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said. Sayyari added that the recent presence of the Navy’s 24th fleet of warships in the Pacific Ocean and its docking in a Chinese port in early March had elevated Iran’s status. The Navy’s 24th fleet of warships, comprised of the Khark helicopter carrier and the Sabalan destroyer, docked in Zhanjiang Port on March 4 after sailing 13,000 kilometers in 40 days. On its way, the fleet had passed through the Strait of Malacca, which is a narrow, 805 km stretch of water between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra and is one of the most important shipping lanes in the world from an economic and strategic perspective. Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian admiral commented on his recent trip to Oman and expressed hope that the two countries would hold a joint naval exercise during the next Iranian calendar year.