Iran has established a base in the southeastern coastal region of Pasabandar to track maritime movements in the northern areas of the Indian Ocean, Deputy Chief of Iran's Army for Coordination Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony during which the homegrown “Bayandor” destroyer joined the Iranian Navy’s fleet in the Konarak region, Sayyari said the base in Pasabandar has been dubbed the ‘Might Office’.
There was no control over the ships travelling in the northern areas of the Indian Ocean in the past, but the Iranian base is now tracking and monitoring every single vessel cruising in that region, he added.
Rear Admiral Sayyari also noted that Iran’s naval missions have been extended to an area of over 2 million square kilometers from the Persian Gulf to the northern parts of the Indian Ocean, down to the 10-degrees latitude.
Iran’s naval forces have in recent years increased their presence in international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for trade vessels and oil tankers.
In a meeting with Navy commanders in 2018, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei praised as “great and fabulous” the advances that Iranian military forces, the Navy in particular, have made since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, saying the Navy’s success in bringing into service homegrown vessels such as the Sahand destroyer or Fateh and Qadir submarines heralds more progress day after day.