IRAN NAVY WARNS OFF AUSTRALIAN PLANE NEAR SL
A top Iranian naval official says Iran’s 24th fleet had been warned off an Australian reconnaissance plane as it approached the Sri Lankan
coast.
Iran’s warships to dock at SL port on March 21
A top Iranian naval official says Iran’s 24th fleet had been warned off an Australian reconnaissance plane as it approached the Sri Lankan coast.
Commander Siavosh Jarreh said on Sunday that the Australian aircraft was approaching the Iranian fleet, which comprised of a helicopter carrier and a destroyer, for imaging. “Immediately after receiving the warning, the Australian reconnaissance plane changed course, but it began dropping submarine detection devices all of which was picked up by [our] marines,” he added.
The admiral noted that the Iranian naval fleet was sailing the high seas in compliance with international regulations at the time of the incident.
On March 15, Iran’s Navy Chief Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said that Ira- nian naval forces would be sailing the Atlantic Ocean after their successful mission in the Pacific Ocean and the crossing the Equator.
The Iranian Army’s Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, had said that his country’s 24th fleet would dock at a port in Sri Lanka in a few days' time.
“The 24th fleet of Iran’s Navy will
The admiral noted that the Iranian naval fleet was sailing the high seas in compliance with international regulations at the time of the incident
dock at a port in Sri Lanka on March 21,” Sayyari said on Sunday. Sayyari underscored the capabilities of the naval forces of the Iranian Army, adding, “We sailed the Pacific Ocean and docked at China's port city of Zhangjiagang for the first time last week,” he added.
The Iranian Navy’s 24th fleet of warships, comprising a Sabalan destroyer and Kharg helicopter carrier, docked at the Zhangjiagang Port on March 4 after sailing 13,000 kilometers in 40 days. In recent years, Iran's Navy has been increasing its presence in international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for Iranian merchant vessels and tankers.