Top Admiral to Attend Naval Confab in Italy

Iran’s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said on Friday he plans to visit Italy soon to attend a naval conference. The top admiral pointed to close cooperation between Tehran and Rome in various naval fields, such as training courses and exchange of cadets and instructors, Tasnim News Agency reported. Admieal Sayyari said the Italians are eager to share Iran’s experience in devising strategies to ensure security in high-risk maritime zones, such as the Gulf of Aden. In Sept. 2016, a high-ranking military delegation from the Italian Army visited Iran and held a meeting with Sayyari, in which the two sides agreed a plan for the dispatch of the European country’s warships to Iran as part of naval cooperation. A few weeks later, Iranian and Italian naval fleets staged a joint military drill in the international waters off the coasts of Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas.