Tasnim � Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari highlighted the steps the Navy has taken to improve its capabilities and stressed the enhanced presence of his forces in high seas in the future.





Speaking during a tour of Khoramshahr Naval Base in southwestern Iran, the commander underlined that the Navy is in possession of the most advanced military equipment manufactured in the country by local experts.

�In the (Iranian calendar) year 1395 (begins on March 21), we will take greater strides in the field of developing the Navy�s capabilities,� he stated.

�We will have stronger presence in international waters, expand the area of the naval maneuvers, and develop production of equipment� (in the coming year),� he added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rear Admiral Sayyari referred to the recent return of the Navy�s 44th flotilla from an overseas mission, saying it set a record after sailing in high seas for 150 days.

The flotilla, which sailed to the waters of the South Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, displayed the capabilities of the Islamic Republic and served as a symbol of the Iranian people�s might at sea, he went on to say.

The Navy�s 44th fleet, comprising Bushehr logistic warship and Alvand destroyer, set sail for the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in mid-October to protect Iranian trade vessels against piracy in the unsafe zone.

It then sailed around the African continent and arrived in the Atlantic Ocean in late November.

The flotilla returned to Iran earlier this month.