a televised interview on Saturday, Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi highlighted the high-level security of the Iranian sea borders and the accurate observation of any intrusive movement there.

Admiral Khanzadi pointed to piracies carried out at the Gulf of Aden in the Indian Ocean and noted that such movements caused more vigilance of the regional countries.

“Iran’s Navy has a significant presence in the east and north of the Indian Ocean; the Iranian Navy is considered also as a naval power in the North Indian Ocean,” he added.

The commander referred to the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) held recently in Chabahar and Iran’s efforts to establish a center for directing the meeting’s security efforts and noted: “The center is being established for the first time in Chabahar Free Zone. The main effort of the center is to collect clean data and get intelligence over the northern Indian Ocean region.

“The information should be shared between the countries, and any activity that interferes with maritime security must be stopped. The center can also conduct naval operations,” the Iranian Military commander reassured.

He also said that the presence of its vessels in the Atlantic Ocean “is a response to US claims that Iran would never be able to have a presence in the Atlantic.”

Reports emerged in May that Iran was dispatching two naval vessels to the Western hemisphere and an Iranian official confirmed the destination as Venezuela on June 1. The vessels might be carrying missiles and possibly speed boats to Venezuela according to an arms agreement made last year.

The Biden administration told Venezuela and Cuba not to allow the ships, to dock at their ports, Politico reported on June 9.

It is not clear exactly where the vessels are, but they have sailed into the Atlantic Ocean.

Khanzadi said the presence of Iran’s navy ships in the waters of the Atlantic are worrying the United States. He seemed to be referring to the symbolic value of the move rather than a military threat.

Iran barely has an ocean-going navy as it has not been able to acquire significant warships from naval powers and has attempted to build or convert commercial vessels as warships.

He hailed Iran’s capacity in the producing of naval vessels, saying some of the Iranian vessels are now thousand kilometers away from Iran escorting Iranian tankers.

He also referred to production of advanced marine diesel engines in Iran under support of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Khanzadi lauded security in Iranian waters, saying any movement is being monitored 24/7 and the Iranian navy drones will conduct their aerial reconnaissance operations.

He pointed to producing hovercraft by the Iranian Ministry of Defense.

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“The most complex pieces of equipment in the world are the military ones and among the military equipment, those related to the Navy are the most complex, especially submarines,” Admiral Khanzadi said in a speech in the northeastern province of Razavi Khorasan on Thursday.

“Today, thanks to the efforts of the youth of Iran, the country has made significant progress (in production of submarines),” the commander went on to say.

He further stressed the need for the Iranian nation to become more powerful, saying the only way forward for the Iranian nation is to become stronger.

To that end, security is a necessity, and of course, security has different aspects, including military security, Admiral Khanzadi said.

Iranian officials have repeatedly underscored that the country will not hesitate to strengthen its military capabilities, which are entirely meant for defense, and that Iran’s defense capabilities will be never subject to negotiations.

Back in February 2018, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei called for efforts to maintain and boost Iran’s defense capabilities, hitting back at the enemies for disputing the country’s missile program.

“Without a moment of hesitation, the country must move to acquire whatever is necessary for defense, even if the whole world is opposed to it,” Ayatollah Khamenei said at the time.

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IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – There is no place for American forces in the region anymore, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said.

“Today, the era of American free action in the region is over, and they (U.S. forces) must leave the region gradually,” Rear Admiral Khanzadi told reporters on Sunday on the sidelines of a joint naval exercise of Iran, Russia and China, which is underway in the Sea of Oman and the northern parts of the Indian Ocean.

“We believe that regional security does not require the presence of those (foreign) countries, and that regional countries themselves can ensure security together,” he added.

The Iranian Navy commander also expressed hope that more regional states would join Iran in the efforts to ensure security.

“We believe that maritime security definitely needs collective action,” Khanzadi added.

He went on to say that friends of Iran and those favoring regional security have welcomed the joint naval drill, while the U.S. and its proxies who seek to impose inappropriate security arrangements on the region would receive “significant messages” from the war game.

The various phases of the tactical exercises have been carried out in this maneuver successfully till now, he said.

Iran believes that maritime security is an issue that needs to be worked on collectively by countries with maritime capacity, he added.

Noting a new level of the development of relations and cooperation between the three countries of Iran, Russia, and China at their highest level is being displayed, Khanzadi said holding such military drills which are aimed at providing security in the region indicates that the participant countries have cooperated well in other aspects of politics, economics, and so on.

Referring to close cooperation of these three Asian civilizational powers, Navy Commander noted that they set the bold lines for both the region and the world by showing their cooperation not in a separate movement but in a coalition.

The security of the region will be certainly provided by regional countries, he said, adding that Iran invites all the countries of the region to join this regional convergence and coalition for the next time.

Regional countries and our friends enthusiastically followed the joint military drills, he added, saying that good media coverage came from both inside and outside the country.

The joint drill, which is the first of such cooperation with Iran since the 1979 victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution with two major world naval powers at this scale showed that the efforts, investment, and sanctions for isolating Iran have not only worked but have also led to the convergence and unity of regional powers, he added.

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Commander of the Iranian Army’s Navy Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said on Saturday that four-day naval drills promotes Iran’s naval capabilities in the Caspian Sea and is carried out independently.

It is on the agenda to hold military exercise in collaboration with neighboring countries, he added.

Khanzadi noted that the security of the Caspian Sea should be maintained by its neighbors, and according to the agreements made, no country outside the Caspian Sea should be present in this region at all.

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He maintained that the drill promotes Iran’s naval capabilities in the Caspian Sea and is carried out independently.

It is on the agenda to hold military exercise in collaboration with neighboring countries, he added.

Khanzadi noted that the security of the Caspian Sea should be maintained by its neighbors, and according to the agreements made, no country outside the Caspian Sea should be present in this region at all.

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The homegrown Bavar-373 air defense system came on stream on Thursday, August 22, in a ceremony with President Rouhani in attendance. August 22 marks National Defense Industry Day in Iran.

The defense industry has managed to fulfill the needs of Army’s Navy, said Khanzadi, hailing invaluable capabilities of human resources in this field.

He went on to say that achieved technologies and techniques in Iran’s defense industry will have a great impact on the country’s defense tactics, adding, “These systems will help us in heavy destroyers to target flying objects in distant areas.”

Iran’s defense sector has seen many great achievements made by Iranian engineers during recent years. The most recent unveiling came on Thursday as domestically made Bavar-373 air defense system came on stream. Tehran has repeatedly announced that its military power is just aimed at defending the country against threats and does not present any threat to others.

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He referred to the presence of Iranian Navy in Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, saying that the Islamic Republic’s naval forces have safeguarded over 6,000 vessels passing through international waters and are ready to escort Iranian vessels anytime and anywhere that is needed.

Last week, Commander of the Iranian Army’s Navy Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi had also announced Iran’s readiness to escort the recently-released Adrian Darya 1 if needed, to protect it from any possible illegal measures by foreign forces.

The Iranian oil tanker, previously called Grace 1, left Gibraltar last week, after a month of being unlawfully detained by UK.

Britain’s naval forces unlawfully seized the Grace 1 and its cargo of 2.1 million barrels of oil in the Strait of Gibraltar on July 4 under the pretext that the supertanker had been suspected of carrying crude to Syria in violation of the European Union’s unilateral sanctions against the Arab country.

Tehran, however, rejected London’s claim that the tanker was heading to Syria, slamming the seizure as “piracy.”

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As reported, Iranian oil tanker, previously called Grace 1, has left Gibraltar, after a month of being unlawfully detained by UK.

Britain’s naval forces unlawfully seized the Grace 1 and its cargo of 2.1 million barrels of oil in the Strait of Gibraltar on July 4 under the pretext that the supertanker had been suspected of carrying crude to Syria in violation of the European Union’s unilateral sanctions against the Arab country.

Tehran, however, rejected London’s claim that the tanker was heading to Syria, slamming the seizure as “maritime piracy.”

Gibraltar’s government announced this week it was releasing the supertanker despite pressure from the US for the vessel’s continued detainment.

The oil tanker is now renamed and sails under Iranian flag.

Iranian ambassador to London, Hamid Baeidinejad wrote on a Sunday tweet that the act of having the Iranian oil tanker, Grace 1, renamed is in no relation with skirting the US sanctions, since the tanker is not sanctioned and sails under the aegis of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC).

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Rear Admiral Khanzadi added that the overhaul and repair process has been conducted in 18 months of incessant hard work by domestic experts.

“The destroyer has been upgraded and equipped with the latest technologies, making it ready to face the harshest situations in the Caspian Sea,” he noted.

On January 10, 2018, Damavand destroyer crashed into the breakwaters while coming into port due to the dramatic increase in wind speed and the severe storm that struck the Caspian Sea.

Damavand, a 100-meter-long destroyer weighing more than 1300 tons, officially joined the Navy’s northern fleet in the Caspian Sea in March 2015.

More than 700 industrial, research and academic Iranian centers cooperated in designing and producing the military vessel, which is also a training warship.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rear Admiral Khanzadi said Dena Destroyer, the latest version of Moudge-class vessels, along with a guided-missile destroyer will join the Navy’s southern armada in the current Iranian year.

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He will attend the Russian Navy Day ceremony today (July 28), which will be held in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Rear Admiral Khanzadi said during the trip, some naval agreements will be signed by the two countries.

He stressed that cooperation between the two powerful regional countries of Iran and Russia will surely bring good achievements that would help ensure naval security.

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