Access to sea good chance for states: Commander

Indian Ocean, Dec 8, IRNA - Commander of 32nd fleet of Iran's Navy said on Monday that access to seas is a major opportunity for many countries. Captain Hossein Sharifi-Nasab told IRNA that such an access is very vital for environment, economic growth and development of countries. The 32nd fleet of Iran's Navy arrived in waters of the Indian Ocean on November 8 enroute the Gulf of Aden. The fleet of warships, which includes the Jamaran destroyer and Bushehr logistic vessel, left Bandar Abbas in Hormuzgan Province on November 4. Iran Navy has been expanding its presence in the international waters since last year, deploying vessels to the Indian Ocean and around the Horn of Africa. It also dispatched two ships via the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean for the first time in February 2011. Moreover, in line with the international efforts to combat piracy, the Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008 to shield the vessels involved in maritime trade, especially ships and oil tankers owned or leased by Iran. The country has repeatedly clarified that its military might is merely based on the defense doctrine of deterrence and poses no threat to other countries./end