Naval Flotilla Enters Atlantic Ocean

The Iranian Navy's 44th flotilla of warships has sailed around the African continent and entered the Atlantic Ocean, Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced. "For the first time, the Navy's 44th flotilla, comprised of the Bushehr logistic warship and the Alvand destroyer, has sailed around the African continent and arrived in the Atlantic Ocean," Sayyari said at a press conference in Tehran on Monday, Tasnim News Agency reported. "The naval fleet has docked at the Port of Durban," he added, hoping that the Navy's vessels will sail across the Atlantic Ocean in the future. The commander hailed his forces' presence in international waters and said the Navy enjoys "a high status" among regional and trans-regional countries. Sayyari said the Navy plans to dispatch fleets to various countries, including Russia, China, Italy, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, in the near future. The 44th flotilla set sail for the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in mid-October to protect Iranian trade vessels against pirate attacks in the unsafe zone.