According to information released by the Iranian Press Agency FARS News on June 11, 2021, Sahand destroyer and Makran ship from the Iranian Navy, left Iran for the Atlantic Ocean for the first time without mooring in other countries' ports, Deputy Army Commander for Coordination Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said.
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Iran has deployed for the first time Sahand 74 Mowj-Class frigate in the Atlantic Ocean. (Picture source Tehran Times)
The 77th strategic naval fleet of the Navy, comprising of Sahand destroyer and Makran ship, is present in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time to demonstrate the capabilities of Iran in the maritime arena, said eputy Army Commander for Coordination Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari.
The Iranian fleet departed from Bandar Abbas on May 10 and after a long journey after thirty days of navigation and crossing the Cape of Good Hope, traveling 6,000 nautical miles (nearly 12,000 kilometers), is currently in the Atlantic Ocean.
Sayyari emphasized that the mission of the strategic Navy of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to defend the water borders and protect the resources and interests of the country in the high seas.
In relevant remarks in February, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said that deployment of the country's warships in international waters has foiled enemies' plots to foment insecurity in high waters.
The Iranian Navy is now present in the Red Sea powerfully and escorts Iranian oil tankers, threatened by proxy terror groups, and gives them safe passage through the Bab al-Mandab Strait toward the Red Sea.
The Sahand is a Moudge-class frigate in the Southern Fleet of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, The ship was commissioned in December 2012. The ship has a length of 95 m with a displacement from 2,000 - 2,500 tons.
The Sahand is armed with one 76 mm naval gun, two 20 mm anti-aircraft automatic guns, one Kamand 30 mm CIWS (Close-In Weapon System), 2 × 8 tube chaff launchers Sayyad-2, six torpedoes, and four Qader anti-ship cruise missiles.
The IRINS Makran (441) is an ex-oil tanker named the Persian Gulf, now converted sea base for the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy. The wide deck lets it easily deploy five helicopters simultaneously, which Includes the combination of two Bell-212 helicopters, two Sea-King helicopters and an RH-53D (Sea Stallion) helicopter.
