Iran to deploy fleet to Atlantic Ocean: Naval commander

By Muhammet Kursun

TEHRAN (AA) - Iran has announced plans to dispatch a naval fleet to the Atlantic Ocean sometime in March, the state-run IRNA news agency has reported.

Admiral Touraj Hasnai Moqaddam, Iran’s deputy chief of naval forces, told IRNA on Friday that the deployment would last about five months given the lengthy distances involved.

“The Atlantic Ocean is vast,” Moqaddam was quoted as saying. “It’s likely this mission will take up to five months to complete.”

The planned deployment will reportedly include Iran’s home-made Sahand frigate, which it has described in the past as “the best warship in western Asia”.

According to Moqaddam, the mission is intended to “safeguard Iranian interests”.

Ninety-six meters in length, Iran’s Sahand frigate is a stealth battleship equipped with anti-aircraft, surface-to-surface, air-to-surface, and anti-submarine missile systems.