The naval fleet, comprising Shahid Naghdi and Bayandor destroyers and Tonb logistic-military warship, berthed at Bandar Abbas on Saturday morning and was welcomed in a ceremony attended by Lieutenant Navy Commander Rear Admiral Touraj Hassani Moqaddam.
Addressing the ceremony, the senior commander underlined that the Navy will continue to send such flotillas to overseas missions to defend national interests and goals, raise the Iranian flag and convey the country’s message of peace and friendship.
During its one-and-a-half-month mission, the flotilla made port calls at Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Mumbai, India, to convey the message of peace and friendship and enhance naval cooperation with those countries.
In recent years, Iran’s naval forces have increased their presence in international waters to secure naval routes and protect merchant vessels and oil tankers against pirates.
In line with international efforts to combat piracy, the Iranian Navy has also been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden to safeguard the vessels involved in maritime trade, especially ships and oil tankers owned or leased by Iran.