The Iranian Navy is developing new destroyers, including Sahand, which is 90% complete, Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Sayyari said the manufacture of new military destroyers in Iran has made substantial progress and the highest degree of development belongs to Sahand, Tasnim News Agency reported. Sahand is the third destroyer produced as part of the Mowj (Wave) project in Iran. Its predecessors, Jamaran and Damavand, are currently in service and employed for naval missions in international waters.
Sayyari also pointed to the navy's anti-piracy missions in the high seas, saying Iranian forces have escorted 2,500 vessels over the past seven years, allowing them to escape unharmed when faced with pirates. The commander noted that the navy is not after arresting pirates, but only aims to remove them from the shipping routes used by Iranian ships.
Since November 2008, the navy has conducted anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden and Bab el-Mandeb Strait to protect vessels against pirate attacks. Under the terms of several UN Security Council resolutions, nations can deploy warships to the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters of Somalia to protect their vessels against pirates.
