Navy Can Help Sea-Based Economy: Leader

Several commanders and officials of Iran’s Navy met with Ayatollah Khamenei, the commander-in-chief of the Iranian Armed Forces, on Tuesday on the occasion of Navy Day.

In the gathering, the Leader pointed to the Navy’s ample capacities, particularly its potential for helping fulfill the policies on sea-based economy.

Ayatollah Khamenei also stressed the need to discover the Navy’s new capacities to enhance the country’s power and create hope and vitality in society.

Lauding the Iranian Navy’s “eye-catching and incredible advances” after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the Leader said, “In the early years of the Revolution, the presence of the Navy beyond the territorial waters was unimaginable, but now the Navy circumnavigates the globe mightily and formidably and returns home proudly.”

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that while it was hardly conceivable in the past that the Navy may be active in the Caspian Sea one day, the Iranian naval forces have now manufactured destroyers and use them in the Caspian fleet.

Emphasizing the necessity to boost the Navy’s combat preparedness and capabilities, the Leader said one of the capacities of the Navy that can hearten the Iranian youth is the possibility of conducting tours and excursions to the Navy factories displaying its capabilities.

“Efforts need to be made for the Navy to be a strategic force in a comprehensive manner,” the Leader stated.

In comments at the meeting, Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said the Navy’s two principal policies are “expansion of the sphere of influence in the sea” and “reliance on technology and science” to strengthen the Establishment’s power.