Iranian flotilla completes overseas mission
TEHRAN- Following an 86-day mission, the 92nd fleet of Iranian Navy vessels made their way back to Bandar Abbas, a port city in the country’s south, on Saturday.
After crossing 18,000 kilometers across international seas, the naval fleet, with the Sahand destroyer serving as the flagship, berthed at Bandar Abbas.
The flotilla’s primary goals were to safeguard the interests of the Islamic Republic, maintain the safety of commercial ships and oil tankers in the Red Sea, and combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden.
The Jamaran destroyer is part of the Navy’s 93rd flotilla, which has replaced its predecessor and been stationed in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The commanders of the Iranian Navy assert that the enemy has refrained from initiating any aggressive action since naval troops are present in international waters.
Back in May, Iran’s 86th Naval Fleet, which included the home-built Dena Destroyer, came home after the first travel around the world in a mission dubbed “360-degree”.
The flotilla sailed across the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans without needing assistance from land for the first time in Iran’s naval history.
On September 20, 2022, it departed from Bandar Abbas in the Persian Gulf. It finally anchored at Oman’s Salalah harbor on the 236th day of its journey.
The flotilla traveled 63,000 kilometers and four times crossed the equator.
At the time, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that the fleet earned another award at the international level by undertaking a lengthy journey around the globe.
In a post on his Twitter account, Nasser Kanaani said the flotilla made a round-the-world tour with all-Iranian warships, Dena and Makran vessels, and brought about another honor on the international stage for the first time in the country’s history.
The Dena destroyer and Makran forward base ship are part of the Iranian flotilla.
The 86th flotilla berthed at Brazil’s southeastern port city of Rio de Janeiro in February.
Dena is a Mowj-class warship that joined the Iranian Navy in June 2021.
The military vessel is outfitted with anti-ship cruise missiles, torpedoes and naval cannons.
Makran, a forward base ship weighing 121,000 tons, is an oil tanker that was converted into a warship to support the combat vessels logistically. It can carry five helicopters.
On August 06, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Revolution, praised the Navy for circumnavigating the world, underlining that the high seas belong to all nations.
Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with the commander, crew, and families of the 86th Flotilla.
He described their successful and honorable mission around the globe as a result of great effort, strong determination, self-confidence, designing power, advanced military knowledge, efficient management skills and "courage and endurance in the face of difficulties," according to khamenei.ir.