Escorting More Than 5,500 Ships and Tankers in the Gulf of Aden

The Deputy Coordinator of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army said: "There is currently a strategic relationship between naval operations and the country's economy, and one of the navy's effective actions on the country's economy is the escort of commercial ships and tankers."

News ID: 86938

Date: 29 November 2025 - 15:42

TEHRAN (Defapress) - Amir Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, Chief of Staff and Deputy Coordinator of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, on the television program "First Line" with the theme "Strategic Naval Force; From Authority to Maritime Development," reviewed the achievements of the Navy in the arena of war and after the years of the Sacred Defense.

Rear Admiral Sayyari, beginning with a reference to the Basij Week, stated: "Given that we have passed Basij Week, I offer congratulations and greetings for these days. Basij, in lexicon, means preparedness, and in our religious culture, it is a sacred word."

The Deputy Coordinator of the Army added: "From the perspective of the Honorable Supreme Leader, over 20 key terms have been raised about the Basij and Basijis. Such as adherence to guardianship, self-sacrifice, seeking martyrdom, not fearing the enemy, always being present on the scene, humility, modesty, good character, and helping the people, all are key terms that the Supreme Leader of the Revolution has raised about the Basij."

Basij is a culture and thought

He emphasized: "The Honorable Supreme Leader has an important key term, stating that 'Basij does not fit into the framework of an organization; rather, Basij is a culture and thought.' This is a very strategic statement that Basij is a culture and thought, and all individuals in the country who possess this culture and thought are considered Basijis. Therefore, we congratulate all individuals who have such a thought and appreciate the efforts of these dear ones."

The Deputy Coordinator of the Army further thanked all ground forces present at the borders from the Islamic Republic of Iran Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who are engaged in safeguarding and protecting the territorial integrity of the country under the current weather conditions.

Rear Admiral Sayyari also thanked his comrades in the Air Force and Air Defense Force and wished them success.

Iran's turning points in the 8-year Sacred Defense

The former Commander of the Army Navy, while explaining the strategic role of the Army in the early days of the imposed war, said: "The first turning point of the Sacred Defense was the 34-day resistance of Khorramshahr; a resistance that was orchestrated with the central role of the Navy commandos and the companionship of the brothers from the IRGC, the Committees, popular forces, and several Gendarmerie and Police forces."

Recalling Saddam's initial claim to occupy Khorramshahr in one day, he added: "Saddam had officially announced that he would take Khorramshahr in one day, reach Abadan island in three days, and on the seventh day, he would interview with the media in Tehran's Azadi Square; but the epic of Khorramshahr lasted 34 days, and the enemy could not even completely capture the city. This means the enemy was defeated at the strategic level right at the beginning of the war."

Rear Admiral Sayyari, emphasizing that this resistance thwarted all the enemy's plans to dominate Khuzestan and gain access to the northern waters of the Persian Gulf, said: "The results of that resistance remain in place to this day, and it is considered one of the important and influential operations in the history of the Sacred Defense."

The Deputy Coordinator of the Army described Operation "Morvarid" as the second strategic turning point of the Sacred Defense and said: "This operation was carried out on November 28, 1980, only 67 days after the start of the war. The enemy at that stage relied on three forces: ground, air, and naval; but in Operation Morvarid, the Iraqi Navy was completely destroyed, and one of the three main components of the enemy's power was eliminated."

Referring to the pivotal role of the Army Navy in this operation, he added: "The combat flotilla in the Bushehr second naval zone, the marine commandos, the naval aviation unit, and the powerful support of the Army Air Force turned Operation Morvarid into a decisive victory."

Rear Admiral Sayyari emphasized: "The strategic effect of this blow still continues; despite four decades since those days, the Iraqi Navy has never been able to rebuild and revive itself."

Severing the economic artery of the Iraqi Ba'athist regime by destroying oil platforms

The Army Chief of Staff, stating that Operation Morvarid was not just a military victory but also dealt a major economic blow to the Ba'athist regime, said: "The two oil platforms, Al-Bakr and Al-Ummah, which accounted for 80 to 90 percent of Iraq's oil exports, were destroyed in this operation, and Iraq's oil exports practically stopped. This means the economic artery of the Ba'athist regime was severed."

He added: "A country that cannot financially support the war fronts is defeated. The only reason for the continuation of the war for eight years was the assistance of neighboring countries to the Ba'athist regime; the same countries that the Great Imam had warned: 'Do not help this regime; tomorrow it will come after you.' And exactly that happened."

Naval blockade of the three main ports of the Iraqi Ba'athist regime in the first 67 days of the war

The Deputy Coordinator of the Army, explaining the strategic results of the Army Navy's operations during the Sacred Defense, referring to the complete blockade of Iraq's three main ports and the decisive role of escort operations, emphasized: "What was carried out in those years still maintains and continues its strategic effects."

Referring to the results of Operation Morvarid and the heavy blows to the Ba'athist regime's navy, he said: "In the very first 67 days of the war, after Operation Morvarid, we completely imposed a naval blockade on Iraq's three main ports, including Faw, Basra, and Umm Qasr, which is located at the end of the Khor Abdullah. The port of Faw on the Arvand Rud also belonged to Iraq. When a country is under naval blockade, it means its exports and imports are cut off."

Rear Admiral Sayyari continued: "If Iraq's neighbors at that time had not helped them through land routes and other ways, Iraq would certainly have faced complete defeat at that very time frame. As you know, 80 to 90 percent of countries' exports and imports are conducted via sea. This naval blockade deprived Iraq of any export and import, and this strategic outcome continued until the end of the Sacred Defense."

Iran's complete naval supremacy over the Persian Gulf from the first day of the war

The Deputy Coordinator of the Army referred to the important issue of naval supremacy and said: "From the first day of the war, we had complete supremacy over the entire Persian Gulf, and particularly the northern Persian Gulf, and we protected and safeguarded our territorial waters and areas under our surveillance. From that very first day, we drew the median line in the Persian Gulf, and the northern half was completely under the severe control of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army Navy. Then, the brothers of the IRGC Navy also entered the scene, and we defended this area jointly."

He added: "We did not allow anyone to enter this area. Today, too, the naval supremacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Persian Gulf, especially in the northern part where the enemies started the war to expel us from that region, still continues."

Rear Admiral Sayyari referred to the enemy's reciprocal action after the complete defeat of the Iraqi Navy and said: "We stopped Iraq's exports; they also tried to make the same thing happen to us and intended to halt Iran's oil exports and disrupt Imam Khomeini Port so that the country could not conduct exports and imports. At that stage, Shahid Rajaee Port was not yet available, and most of the country's goods were being unloaded and loaded at Imam Port."

He added: "The enemy, because it had no navy and its navy was destroyed, with the support of global arrogance, procured various types of Mirage and Super Étendard aircraft, Super Frelon helicopters, Exocet missiles, surface-to-surface missiles, and shore-to-sea missiles to stop Iran's oil exports through the air. But history bears witness that they could not stop the oil exports of the Islamic Republic of Iran even for a single day."

Escorting 10,000 ships; The exceptional record of the Iranian Navy in the war

The Deputy Coordinator of the Army described the convoy escort operation as one of the most important strategic operations and said: "During the war, over 150 convoy escort operations were carried out. We would take commercial ships and tankers from Bandar Abbas and Bushehr, transfer them with complete protection to Imam Port for unloading and loading, and then bring them back."

He emphasized: "In total, 10,000 commercial ships and tankers were escorted during the Sacred Defence to keep the country's economy running." Rear Admiral Sayyari, providing precise statistics of enemy attacks, added: "Out of these 10,000 ships, over 1000 to 1500 missiles were fired towards them, but only 200 missiles hit, and only 20 ships sustained major damage. This is a unique record in the history of global naval operations."

Decoy targets: Iranian intelligence against million-dollar missiles

Rear Admiral Sayyari introduced one of the important inventions of Iranian engineers during the Sacred Defence as follows: "The engineers and veterans of the Navy, with their intelligence and ingenuity, built a device called a 'decoy target.' The price of each unit was 200,000 Tomans. A device consisting of several iron beams and two tubes on which a radar reflector was mounted and released into the sea. On enemy radar, the cross-section of this false target appeared larger than that of a merchant ship; therefore, the missiles went towards the false target instead of the ships."

He continued: "We called this a multi-million dollar equation versus 200,000 Tomans, because each enemy missile cost tens of millions of dollars. This great action both protected the ships and dealt a heavy blow to the enemy's economy."

Escorting over 5,500 ships in the Gulf of Aden after the eight-year imposed war

Rear Admiral Sayyari, referring to the importance of the results of these actions, said: "All these actions caused the country's economy to remain healthy. The Honourable Supreme Leader stated, 'It is good for the people to know that one of the results of the Navy's operations is that the country's economy has remained healthy.' If we had not carried out the escorts, the country's imports would have been disrupted, and the country would have faced crisis and famine."

He added: "This strategic mission still continues. From 2007 until now, in the Gulf of Aden region, over 5,500 commercial ships and tankers have been escorted by the Army Navy so that the country's economy remains stable."

The former Commander of the Army Navy said: "All these achievements are owed to the efforts of the martyrs, veterans, and all those who designed and executed these valuable operations. We still benefit from the strategic results of those actions."

The Chief of Staff of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, explaining the process of developing the capabilities of the Navy (IRIN), emphasizing the importance of core equipment for presence in the open seas, stated: "The further we advance into the open seas, the more we need special equipment suited to the operational areas. In this field, there are two main axes for accessing the required equipment."

Start of building the Peykan missile launcher corvette

Referring to his personal experience in 1998 and 1999 as the Northern Fleet Commander, he said: "In 1998 and 1999, when our northern neighbor invited Iran to participate in an exercise, we did not have the necessary facilities. This matter was brought to the attention of the Supreme Leader, and he said, 'They knew you didn't have the facilities and intended to humiliate you. You go and procure the necessary equipment from the south.' The route was activated from the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea for the vessel to reach the north, but they did not permit entry, and we were forced to use other methods."

Rear Admiral Sayyari continued: "Later, it was suggested to participate with small corvettes, but they did not allow passage. Ultimately, Spreme Leader said, 'Bring your own determination to the task and build it yourselves.' In 2003, at the graduation ceremony of the Army officer universities at Imam Khomeini University in Nowshahr, the first missile launcher corvette named 'Peykan' was built, and His Excellency himself carried out its joining."

The Deputy Coordinator of the Army added: "This vessel was the first domestically produced model that lacked nothing compared to foreign models and became the start of a production line in the Navy. Three years later, the second vessel, named 'Joshan', entered service to replace the model sunk on April 18, 1988, namely the 'Sahand' vessel. Also, the 'Darfesh' vessel (2009) and the 'Damavand' destroyer (2012) were joined."

The spark for building the first destroyer in Iran

Rear Admiral Sayyari, regarding destroyers, stated: "Destroyer construction in the world is done only by a handful of countries. In 1997, the Supreme Leader, during a visit to the Bandar Abbas factories, said: 'It is good for the Navy to build destroyers and also enhance its capabilities; in such a way that it can carry helicopters and missiles.'"

He added: "In 2007, when I was the Navy Commander, the destroyer's hull was ready, but it had no equipment. Sanctions prevented the procurement of foreign equipment. We started with the gearboxes and, with domestic industries in Isfahan, Karaj, Mashhad, Tabriz, and other industries of the Ministry of Defense, produced and prepared all the equipment needed for the destroyer."

The Deputy Coordinator of the Army noted: "On February 19, 2010, the 'Jamaran' destroyer was joined in the presence of the Supreme Leader. The name 'Jamaran' was chosen in memory of Imam Khomeini (RA) to preserve the spiritual bond between naval defense and the values of the Revolution. After that, the 'Damavand,' 'Sahand,' 'Zagros,' and 'Taftan' vessels were built, and the production line for destroyers in Iran with modern technologies was launched."

Rear Admiral Sayyari added: "The class of 'Tariq' destroyers, which were purchased between 1991 and 1994, needed major repairs. With the wisdom of the Supreme Leader and domestic capability, major repairs were carried out, and their operational capability was restored."

He referred to the development of submarines and said: "We had no submarines before this, but today we have production lines for light, medium, and heavy submarines. Alongside that, missile launcher corvettes, destroyers, submarines, shore-to-sea missile systems, electronic warfare, drones, and cyber operations are also on the agenda. All these have been achieved with the cooperation of specialized youth, knowledge-based companies, and the industries of the Ministry of Defense."

The Deputy Coordinator of the Army added: "Today, all our equipment is domestic and self-sufficient. Smart missiles, advanced drones, and destroyers are built by the youth of this very country. The Supreme Leader said that today is a very sweet day, that I saw the efforts of the youth in building a warship, and this is very valuable."

The outlook for Iran's future technology and capabilities in the realm of combat power

Rear Admiral Sayyari said: "Our effort is not to fall behind the world's modern technologies and for the capability of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy to always be upgraded according to operational needs and new threats. The cooperation of all the armed forces, defense industries, and specialized youth has smoothed the path of progress, and today the Islamic Iran has achieved the honor of producing vital naval and defense equipment."

The Deputy Coordinator of the Army, explaining the process of forming a strategic view towards the Army Navy, pointed to the starting point of this transformation and said: "This path began on October 6, 2009, the day when the Supreme Leader attended the graduation ceremony in Nowshahr and expressed a very important and decisive sentence. He emphasized that 'today in many parts of the world and in our country, the Navy is a strategic force and must be viewed as a strategic force.'"

According to Rear Admiral Sayyari, this very sentence became the basis for a fundamental change, and he stated: "Until that day, we had not heard such a proposition at this level. We thought about this subject for three to four months, and a strategic plan was prepared."

He continued: "On Bahman 30, 2009, when the Spremen Leader came to Bandar Abbas for the joining of the Jamaran destroyer, we presented this plan to him the night before. The Spremen Leader had studied it and in the morning ceremony announced: 'This plan presented by Rear Admiral Sayyari is ambitious; but I one hundred percent confirm having such ideas.'"

Rear Admiral Sayyari, referring to the content of the presented plan, said: "We had defined an outlook; what does a strategic naval force mean? We concluded that it means having a continuous presence in the open seas, establishing the security of communication lines in the Gulf of Aden and other regions, and achieving naval diplomacy."

He added: "In that same year, simultaneously, the issue of confronting sea pirates in the Gulf of Aden was raised. We passed through the Mediterranean, went towards Gibraltar, and went to Syria. At that same time, the Spremen Leader said, 'With this move of yours, the world was shaken.'"

The official start of Iran's naval diplomacy

The Deputy Coordinator of the Army stated: "From that same year, our naval diplomacy began powerfully. This diplomacy is part of defense diplomacy. The Supreme Leader also said that the Navy is like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and can play an effective role in establishing defense diplomacy and even assisting the country's formal diplomatic apparatus."

He continued: "Subsequently, we also pursued naval economic diplomacy, meaning creating continuous travel to friendly countries, presence in the ports of the northern Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the southern Indian Ocean; and establishing sustainable security for shipping lines."

The connection between naval strategy and sea-based development

Rear Admiral Sayyari, referring to the general policies of sea-based development, said: "Last year, the policies of sea-based development were announced. These policies highlighted the role and position of the Navy more than before. We conduct 80 to 90 percent of the country's exports and imports via sea; therefore, an active presence in maritime trade, clean marine energy, marine food resources, and tourism is essential for us."

He added: "To realize sea-based development, we must develop the Makran coasts, have advanced ports, and continue effective presence in the open seas. But the condition for all of this is naval authority."

Naval authority, the condition for sustainable development

According to Rear Admiral Sayyari, naval authority is achieved through naval power, and this power must be created by the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army Navy and the IRGC Navy. These two forces must be at a level of capability where they can establish sustainable security at sea so that sustainable maritime development takes shape under the shadow of this security.

The former Commander of the Army Navy emphasized: "The Supreme Leader has repeatedly stated that if there is no security, whatever we build will be destroyed from morning till noon. This matter applies equally to land, air, and sea borders. Maritime security is the main condition for benefiting from the country's extensive resources and interests in the sea."

The Army Chief of Staff, referring to the deep-rooted nature of empathy and unity since the beginning of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, said: "From the very first days of the revolution, we had empathy. Imam Khomeini (RA) had an important word and speech, and always said 'unity of word.' This unity of word was the same as unity, cohesion, and empathy; a unity that caused the victory of the revolution and subsequently led to our success in other fields."

Referring to the recent speeches of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution, he added: "Last night, in his statements, the issue of cohesion and unity was emphasized. We believe that the armed forces, including all four forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, the Ground Force, the Air Defense Base, the Air Force, and the Navy, as well as the forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Basij, the Law Enforcement Command, and the Ministry of Defense with its defense industries complex, are all under a single command, namely the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces."

Complete coordination between the Army, IRGC, Law Enforcement, and Ministry of Defense

Rear Admiral Sayyari clarified: "When this great complex is empathetic, coordinated, cohesive, and has positive interaction, and enjoys the comprehensive support of our dear people, we will certainly be successful. Today, the expectation is for this same empathy and coordination."

He added: "At the level of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the organizations of the Army, IRGC, Law Enforcement, and the Ministry of Defense, the policy of creating empathy, coordination, cohesion, and synergy is pursued. Within the Army and the IRGC, forces that have the same name and mission have very close connections in the fields of training, education, weapon construction and development, exercises, and joint drills. These very cooperations lead to increased synergy."

The Deputy Coordinator of the Army emphasized: "With the outlook that we can always maintain one hundred percent empathy and coordination, we are sure that we will be successful and will give a decisive response to any threat."

Rear Admiral Sayyari considered one of the most important challenges to be soft war and said: "The enemy, with all its might in soft war and cognitive war, tries to create division among the people, officials, government, rulers, and the armed forces; but with the insight that our people have today towards the officials and the armed forces, and with the unity established among the armed forces, the expediency that the Supreme Leader expressed last night will be implemented, and surely the enemy's arrow, as always, will hit stone, and these divisive plots will not yield results."

Referring to the special place of the Caspian Sea in the missions of the armed forces, he said: "In any case, ensuring the security of the Caspian Sea is on our agenda and is considered among the definite duties of the armed forces."

Rear Admiral Sayyari, emphasizing that the Caspian is a "sea of peace and friendship," added: "We believe the security of this sea must be established through interaction, empathy, and coordination among the five coastal countries. Neighboring countries must join hands and not allow the entry or presence of any foreign power in the Caspian. It is under the shadow of this security that constructive actions and economic and operational cooperation can be advanced in the form of a sea of peace and friendship."

Full preparedness of the Army and IRGC to defend the security of the Caspian Sea

The Deputy Coordinator of the Army stated: "The Islamic Republic of Iran Army Navy and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, based on their assigned responsibilities, have provided the necessary facilities for defending the security of the Caspian. If, God forbid, any incident or threat occurs, the necessary defensive capability fully exists."

He continued: "Appropriate planning has been done, drills are held continuously, and the preparedness to confront threats is at a desirable level."

Rear Admiral Sayyari also expressed hope: "We hope this sea always remains a sea of peace and friendship, and all five neighboring countries can best utilize the resources and interests that have been jointly defined and agreed upon."

The Deputy Coordinator of the Army, concluding, referred to the extensiveness of the security plans of the armed forces in the country and noted: "There is no point in the country, whether on land, in the air, or at sea, for which necessary forecasting and action have not been taken in the discussion of establishing security."