TEHRAN – The Iranian Navy has called on the member states of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) to draft a joint protocol for naval security and called for staging joint anti-piracy drills to boost cooperation in enforcing collective security in the water body.

“We have all convened here for the very same objective that is to promote convergence, consultation, and interaction for establishing security in the Indian Ocean which is one of the most strategic oceans in the world,” Deputy Navy Commander Mohammad Reza Azizi said on Tuesday, Mehr reported.

He made the remarks during the meeting of the IONS Naval Security Commission in Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas.

MH/PA