Iran Army totally ‘self-reliant’ to meet all needs for ocean-going missions: Cmdr.

The Iranian Army chief commander has hailed great military achievements made by the country’s young experts, saying the force has attained self-sufficiency in meeting its navigation needs in traversing the world’s oceans.

Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi made the remarks while visiting in an exhibition showcasing the technological and scientific achievements and breakthroughs of the Iranian Navy, in the southern city of Sirjan in Kerman Province on Tuesday.

The top commander praised the exhibit as a corollary of unity between universities, knowledge-based institutions, scientific elites and Iran’s Navy.

“In this exhibition, what the Navy needs in the logistics and support sector for crossing the oceans has been built via cooperation, which is a great success as we have achieved accomplishments that we thought were impossible [to be attained],” Mousavi said.

“In seafaring, we needed many things but we had gotten used to their absence or we thought it was not possible to have them,” he added. “Now, not only the needs have been met, but we have also acquired more capabilities, and through interaction in different sectors coupled with cooperation of the elites, the requirements have been met for a better, more powerful performance in oceanic missions.”

The Army chief also underlined that Iran’s Armed Forces have made the same progress in all fields and areas.

Iranian officials have underscored that the country will not hesitate to boost its military capabilities, including its missile power, which are entirely meant for defense and deterrence, and that Iran’s defense capabilities will be never subject to negotiations.

Iran’s Navy has in recent years achieved self-sufficiency in manufacturing surface and sub-surface vessels. It has also increased its presence in international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for merchant vessels and tankers.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said in August 2023 that the Navy’s presence in remote waters such as the Pacific and Atlantic oceans contributes to national security.

For the first time in Iran’s naval history, the Navy’s 86th flotilla, comprised of Dena and Makran warships, undertook a long voyage around the world in September 2022 and sailed in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans without relying on aid from shores.

The flotilla traveled some 63,000 kilometers and crossed the equator four times.