BANDAR  ABBAS – The Iranian Navy’s 16th fleet of warships, comprised of the Jamaran destroyer and the Bandar Abbas gunboat, set sail for the north of the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden on Sunday.    

It is the first time that the Jamaran destroyer is dispatched on a mission in international waters. 

The mission of the fleet is to provide security for Iranian merchant vessels and commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden.  

“The main feature of this fleet of warships is the presence of the Islamic Republic’s destroyer, the Jamaran. This Iranian destroyer will go on a long sea voyage for the first time,” Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced during a ceremony held on Sunday before the warships set out on their voyage. 

The Jamaran is the first domestically manufactured destroyer. It can carry helicopters and is equipped with torpedoes. It is 94 meters long and weighs over 1,500 tons. The warship is capable of engaging in surface, air, and undersea warfare. 

The Navy commander also said that the presence of Iranian warships in the open seas is not just for protecting Iranian ships, they will also raise the Iranian flag in international waters and show the capabilities of the Iranian Navy to the world.   

Elsewhere in his remarks, Sayyari said, “According to international law, it is the Islamic Republic of Iran’s inalienable right to be present in the open seas and no country can take away this right.” 

He added that the presence of Iranian naval vessels in far-off waters poses no threat to any country. 

In reference to the news that the Iranian Navy plans to deploy naval vessels in the Atlantic Ocean near maritime borders of the United States, he said, “Upon the guidelines of the Supreme Leader and according to international law, the Navy has the intention of being present in all open seas.” 

The Navy’s 15th fleet of warships also returned home and moored in Bandar Abbas on Sunday after the completion of its 85-day mission in the Gulf of Aden.