Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr.25
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said that the Islamic Republic's 34th fleet is still in the Gulf of Aden and Bab el-Mandeb.
He rejected comments of US defense officials on April 24, claiming that the fleet was moving away from Yemen, days after the US deployed warships to the Yemeni coast, Iran's IRNA news agency reported on April 25.
According to the US officials, the Iranian ships turned away from Yemen on April 23 and continued to move northeast on April 24, back in the direction of Iran.
Sayyari stated that the fleet's mission is to secure Iran's shipping lines and safeguard the Islamic Republic's interests in the free waters.
Saudi Arabia and several Arab allies have imposed an air and naval blockade on Yemen as part of a one-month campaign to oust the Houthis, who have taken most of the country and forced President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee to Riyadh.
Iran has condemned the campaign and called for dialogue. Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of providing military support to the Houthis, a charge the Islamic Republic denies.