TEHRAN (FNA)- Commander of Iran's Navy Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari praised his forces powerful and independent presence in the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy mission."In the Gulf of Aden, 25 to 30 countries are busy patrolling to secure the shipping routes," Sayyari said, adding that while those navies are under NATO command, "the Islamic Republic of Iran is among the countries that work independently."
Hailing the country's navy as the "strongest" and the best equipped and staffed force in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, he stressed that Iran and littoral states around the two bodies of water did not need outside help in safeguarding the region.
The Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, when Somali raiders hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, MV Delight, off the coast of Yemen.
According to UN Security Council resolutions, different countries can send their warships to the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters of Somalia against the pirates and even with prior notice to Somali government enter the territorial waters of that country in pursuit of Somali sea pirates.
The Gulf of Aden - which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea - is an important energy corridor, particularly because Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West via the Suez Canal.
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