Iran’s newly launched Ghadir submarines move in the southern port of Bandar Abbas in Persian Gulf, Iran – © AP Photo/ Fars News Agency, Ebrahim Norouzi
The maneuver is set to be held on the occasion of Navy Day (November 28), a combination of naval exercises will be held, including various capabilities and tactics, Tasnim News agency reported. Continue reading
Tehran’s navy chief says vessels will ‘soon berth’ at Atlantic ports
Iran intends to dispatch “a fleet of warships” to the Atlantic Ocean shortly, the semi-state Fars news agency reported Thursday, quoting the regime’s navy chief.
“Our warships will soon berth at ports in the Atlantic Ocean,” Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari promised at a ceremony on Wednesday marking the return to port of Iranian warships that Fars said had taken part in joint drills with the Russian navy. Continue reading
Only hours after Saudi Arabia announced the conclusion of a month of daily air strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, new strikes hit targets in Taiz, Yemen as a convoy of Iranian warship arrived in the area.
The Saudi-led Arab coalition and the Houthis had agreed to enter a “political process” during which the air campaign and fighting on the ground would be suspended. Continue reading
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Iran dispatched a naval destroyer and another vessel Wednesday to waters near Yemen as the United States quickened weapons supply to the Saudi-led coalition striking rebels there, underlining how foreign powers are deepening their involvement in the conflict.
Iran’s English-language state broadcaster Press TV quoted Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari as saying the ships would be part of an anti-piracy campaign “safeguarding naval routes for vessels in the region.”
The maneuver comes amid an intense Saudi-led Gulf Arab air campaign targeting the Yemeni rebels, known as Houthis, who come from a Shiite sect. Critics say Shiite power Iran backs the Houthis, though both the Islamic Republic and the rebels deny any direct military assistance. Continue reading
Beijing extends invitation after two countries partake in unprecedented military exercise in Persian Gulf
China’s defense minister said Thursday the world’s most populous country is “ready to enhance” military ties with Iran.
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Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan was meeting in Beijing with Iranian Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, commander of Iran’s navy. Wanquan told his Iranian counterpart the two countries have had “good cooperation on mutual visits, personnel training and other fields in recent years,” China’s official Xinhua news agency reported, according to Reuters.
Sayyari said Iran was “ready to enhance bilateral exchanges to push forward cooperation between the two armed forces, especially in naval cooperation.” Continue reading
TEHRAN (Tasnim) — Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced on Wednesday that the Navy will establish a naval zone east of the Caspian Sea.
Speaking in a ceremony to mark the National Army Week in the Northern port city of Bandar Anzali on Wednesday, Sayyari emphasized that the navy has increased its forces’ level of preparedness.
“In the near future a new naval zone will be established east of the Caspian Sea,” the commander said. Continue reading
After a tense week of diplomacy between American and Iranian representatives, Iran has called off a deployment of warships to the Atlantic Ocean, the semi-official Fars news agency said on Sunday, shelving plans for its vessels to approach US maritime borders in response to the US navy’s presence in the Gulf.
The announcement comes shortly after Iran overturned the death sentence of a former US marine imprisoned in Iran on charges of working for the CIA. The American, Amir Hekmati, has had his sentence reduced to 10 years in prison by a supreme court decision. The commuted sentence is a positive signal for US-Iranian relations, but an ongoing debate over Iran’s nominated diplomat to the UN threatens to derail nuclear negotiations. The diplomat, Hamid Aboutalebi, is barred entry to the US due to alleged links to the 1979 hostage crisis, but Tehran has refused to consider a new candidate.
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