Iran plans to send Special Airborne Troops to high seas to fight against piracy

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Iran plans to deploy Special Airborne Troops to protect country's ships
 
 
Tuesday, December 9, 2014 04:32 PM
 
Iran plans to send Special Airborne Troops to high seas to fight against piracy
The Iranian Army plans to send its Airborne Commandos to the high seas to protect the country's cargo ships and oil tankers against pirate attacks, a senior Army commander announced on Monday. "Based on a relevant order by Iranian Army Commander Major General Ataollah Salehi, we are planning to send the commandos of Nohed (Special Airborne Troops) Brigade 65 to a number of Navy operations," Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Ground Force Brigadier General Kioumars Heidari told FNA on Monday.
     
The Iranian Army plans to send its Airborne Commandos to the high seas to protect the country's cargo ships and oil tankers against pirate attacks, a senior Army commander announced on Monday. "Based on a relevant order by Iranian Army Commander Major General Ataollah Salehi, we are planning to send the commandos of Nohed (Special Airborne Troops) Brigade 65 to a number of Navy operations," Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Ground Force Brigadier General Kioumars Heidari told FNA on Monday. Iranian 65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade during military parade
     
"We intend to dispatch the Special Airborne Troops of Brigade 65 aboard the Iranian Navy warships to the battle against sea pirates," he added.

Nohed (Special Airborne Troops) Brigade 65 (also known as the Green Berets) has the most famous Iranian special forces who are capable of conducting any mission under any environmental, tactical and war conditions in the form of man-to-man, street, guerilla and partisan, parachute and free fall operations on land, in the air and in the sea. They are sent to dried out deserts and mountainous areas for missions impossible, ranging from hostage-releasing operations, psychological warfare and protection of VIPs as bodyguards.

In recent years, Iran’s Navy has been increasing its presence in international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for trade vessels and tankers.

The Islamic Republic has repeatedly asserted that its overseas naval presence is meant to convey a message of peace and friendship to other countries.

Iranian officials and commanders have repeatedly underlined that all military exercises and trainings of the Iranian Armed Forces are merely meant to serve deterrent purposes.

The Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, when Somali raiders hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, MV Delight, off the coast of Yemen.

According to UN Security Council resolutions, different countries can send their warships to the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters of Somalia against the pirates and even with prior notice to Somali government enter the territorial waters of that country in pursuit of Somali sea pirates.

The Gulf of Aden - which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea - is an important energy corridor, particularly because Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West via the Suez Canal.