IRNA � Deputy navy commander Rear Admiral Peyman Jafari announced that his forces deployed in the high seas have escorted 2,100 cargo ships and oil tankers so far.
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'Since insecurities started due to piracy in the Gulf of Aden, we have been continuously present in the region of turmoil and have escorted 2,100 oil tankers and cargo ships in the danger zone,' Admiral Jafari said on Sunday.

The Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, when Somali raiders hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, MV Delight, off the coast of Yemen.

According to UN Security Council resolutions, different countries can send their warships to the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters of Somalia against the pirates and even with prior notice to Somali government enter the territorial waters of that country in pursuit of Somali sea pirates.

The Gulf of Aden - which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea - is an important energy corridor, particularly because Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West via the Suez Canal.

In relevant remarks earlier, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced the country's plans to expand naval presence in international waters, and said a flotilla of warships has now been deployed in the Atlantic Ocean.

'For the first time, the 44th flotilla comprised of Alvand and Bushehr destroyers could sail around the African continent and enter the Atlantic Ocean,' Admiral Sayyari told reporters in Tehran.

'The two destroyers are now deployed in Durban Harbor (South Africa),' he added.

Noting that deployment of the 44th flotilla of warships in the international waters indicates the Iranian Navy's might and power, Admiral Sayyari said, 'In addition to that, 5 fleets of warships have also been sent to other countries so far with a message of peace and friendship.'