TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian Navy plans to build new frigates in the Caspian Sea, a senior commander announced on Sunday."The Islamic Republic of Iran is planning to build new frigates in the Caspian Sea," Commander of the Iranian Army's 4th Naval Zone Admiral Khordad Hakimi told reporters in the Northern port city of Anzali today.
He announced the Navy's plans to further develop its equipment in the Caspian Sea.
Hakimi also underlined that "establishment of order, security, peace and friendship in the Caspian Sea region is the Navy's strategy".
In relevant remarks on Monday, Hakimi said that the Iranian Navy planned to launch one of its advanced home-made destroyers, named Damavand, in the country's Northern territorial waters in the near future.
"The destroyer, Damavand, will join the Navy warships in Northern Iran (in the Caspian Sea) by the end of the current (Iranian) year (which ends on March 20)," he said.
Tehran launched an arms development program during the 1980-88 Iraqi imposed war on Iran to compensate for a US weapons embargo. Since 1992, Iran has produced its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles and fighter planes.
Yet, Iranian officials have always stressed that the country's military and arms programs serve defensive purposes and should not be perceived as a threat to any other country.
Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said on Saturday that the Iranian Navy is fully capable of manufacturing all its needed military tools and equipment.
The commander said that self-sufficiency in producing naval equipment has given the Iranian Navy strong surface and underwater capabilities both.
The joint search and rescue exercise with the Omani Navy will be held in March 2014, Sayyari announced while underscoring the importance of holding wargames in upgrading the might of naval force in defending Iran's waters.
The Iranian Navy has accelerated and widened its progress after Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei described it as "a strategic force".
"Given the current issues of the world and today's geopolitical conditions of the world, we should strengthen ourselves in sea and in coast as far as we can," Ayatollah Khamenei stressed on November 28, 2010, addressing senior Navy commanders here in Tehran in a ceremony to commemorate the National Navy Day.
The leader also stressed that increasing manpower, recruiting talented personnel and taking innovations and initiatives into action are highly necessary for the future of the country's naval forces.
By Fars News Agency
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