TEHRAN- Iranian parliamentarians have praised the nation’s 86th naval fleet, which arrived home last week after a round of the globe, saying the Navy is a source of national pride.

Iran’s Navy brought great honor to the nation both during the 8-year imposed war against the country and for years afterwards, 220 lawmakers said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The Navy is a source of pride for the honorable nation of Iran,” they added.

The parliamentarians pointed out that Iranian navy troops have demonstrated via their tremendous effort that they fully comprehend the directives of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, who underlined, “Don’t be satisfied with the status quo and move forward.”

The lawmakers also thanked the families of the 86th flotilla crew for bearing the pains of being apart from their loved ones and praised the honest efforts of the fleet’s commanders, officials, and staff members.

The flotilla, comprised of a domestically-manufactured Dena destroyer and Makran forward base ship, set sail from Iran’s southern port of Bandar Abbas on September 20, 2022 in a voyage around the world. Dena and Makran together weigh more than 122,000 tons.  They sailed around the world, passing through important ports, seas and oceans. They ultimately returned home on Saturday and were welcomed by Iran’s military and civilian officials.

The 86th flotilla broke the record for the distance an Iranian flotilla has sailed in international waters.

It completed a lengthy cruise around the world and sailed across the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans without needing assistance from the 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 flotilla’s “360 degrees” mission included the deployment of Iranian vessels to the Antarctic as one of its key objectives.

With 70 active research institutes spread over 30 nations, Antarctica is one of the most crucial strategic places on earth.

An idea has been promoted in recent years that the Islamic Republic of Iran plans to build a permanent facility at the South Pole to strengthen its strategic position.