TEHRAN – The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces has stated that the world is on the verge of a new order in which the United States will no longer be the dominating force while emerging states such as Iran would play a more active role.

“The world is on the brink of a new order, where America is no longer at the top of the global power hierarchy, and the Zionist regime is also on a path of weakening,” Major General Mohammad Baqeri told a gathering of senior defense officials on Saturday.

He pointed to the failure of U.S. military adventurism in the region, most notably its withdrawals from Afghanistan and Iraq, as indications of the country's collapse on the world stage.

Meanwhile, he said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran is strengthening and using its resources for a leap forward in all areas, with divine assistance."

Baqeri also praised the Iranian Navy's 86th flotilla for completing its historic round-the-world voyage and returning to Iranian territorial waters last month after sailing some 65,000 kilometers on the high seas.

“In this voyage, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s message of power, peace, and friendship was conveyed to all continents and across oceans, demonstrating the power and geographically influential development of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he stressed. 

Last month, the 86th Naval Fleet, which included the home-built Dena Destroyer, came home after the first round of the world in a mission dubbed “360-Degree”.

The flotilla completed a lengthy cruise around the world and sailed across the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans without needing assistance from land for the first time in Iran’s naval history.

On September 20, 2022, it departed from Bandar Abbas, a port city on the Persian Gulf. It finally anchored at Oman’s Salalah harbor on the 236th day of its journey. The flotilla traveled 63,000 kilometers and four times crossed the equator.

The Dena destroyer and Makran forward base ship are part of the Iranian flotilla.

The 86th flotilla berthed at Brazil’s southeastern port city of Rio de Janeiro in February.

Dena is a Mowj-class warship that joined the Iranian Navy in June 2021.

The military vessel is outfitted with anti-ship cruise missiles, torpedoes and naval cannons.

Makran, a forward base ship weighing 121,000 tons, is the other vessel in the flotilla.

The oil tanker that was converted into a warship is used to support the combat vessels logistically and can carry five helicopters.

The Iranian Navy has established three ocean commands to oversee naval missions to the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans.

As the fleet docked in Salalah, Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said the U.S. failed to stop the flotilla from passing through the Panama Canal.

Irani asserted that “global arrogance” attempted to thwart the mission of the flotilla through threats and penalties, but was unsuccessful.