TEHRAN – Navy Chief Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said on Wednesday a state-of-the-art destroyer dubbed “Dena” will join the navy’s fleet in coming months.

Speaking to reporters, Khanzadi said Dena, which has been designed and manufactured by domestic military experts, will join the navy’s fleet in the Iranian month of Bahman (January 1, 2020 – February 19), Tasnim reported.

The commander said Dena is a new Mowj-class (Wave-class) destroyer similar to the Jamaran and the Sahand destroyers.

It has new capabilities compared to other destroyers of the country, he added.

Khanzadi referred to the recent achievements of the navy and said, “Extended deterrence via expansion of the navy’s potentials and capabilities in open waters is on the agenda of the force.”

“To make this fast-paced move, the navy needs a set of equipment, capacities, and capabilities to make attempts in high seas for the benefit of global maritime security and national economy,” he added.

Khanzadi: Iran, China, Russia to stage tripartite drills

Khanzadi also said the naval forces of Iran, China and Russia are scheduled to conduct a tripartite military exercise in the north Indian Ocean in the near future.

Initial planning has been carried out and the forces are getting ready to stage the drills, Khanzadi said, according to IRNA.

He further explained that several other naval drills will be carried out after this one, all of which are considered as an exercise for the upcoming Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) conference in late February to boost convergence among naval forces in order to settle security in the north Indian Ocean with the help of all regional forces.

Launched by India in 2008, IONS has 24 members including Iran.

The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium organizes series of biennial meetings among littoral states of the Indian Ocean region.

Tehran hosted the sixth conference of IONS in April, 2018.

During that conference, Iran officially assumes presidency of the symposium for two years.

General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, chief of Iran’s armed forces, was the first lecturer of the conference.

Baqeri said the U.S. and certain other countries deploy military units in the Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and other regions and use “language of force”, impose sanctions and level accusations against others and spread chaos and anarchism.

He criticized arrogant powers for waging war in West Asia to sell their arms.

“They lay the ground to wage war through exporting weaponry to various countries in the region,” Baqeri remarked.

MH/