Naval Flotilla Dispatched to Gulf of Aden

Iran’s Navy has deployed a flotilla of warships to international waters for a mission that includes presence in the waters off the southern coasts of Yemen. The 44th flotilla, comprising Alvand destroyer and Bushehr logistic warship, has been dispatched to the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to protect the country’s trade vessels against piracy in the unsafe zone. The warships will later head for the waters near Somalia and Tanzania through the Indian Ocean, Tasnim News Agency reported. After making a port call in Tanzania, the 44th fleet will sail along the eastern coasts of Africa if the weather holds out and is scheduled to sail even for the western coasts of South Africa, in the South Atlantic Ocean. The presence of the Iranian fleet in the Gulf of Aden coincides with the US decision to directly get involved in a Saudi-led war against Yemen. On Thursday, the US military launched cruise missile strikes to destroy coastal radar sites in Yemen in retaliation for alleged missile attacks on a US Navy destroyer.