The commander of the Iranian Navy says Iran has the right to deploy naval vessels near US coastal waters according to international law, Press TV reported.
On Tuesday, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said that international law permits all countries to send their naval ships to the open seas, and naval forces of the Islamic Republic are also allowed to sail in these waters, the Mehr news agency reported.
He went on to say that the Iranian Navy has the right to sail in waters near the coast of the United States because the coastal waters beyond the territorial waters of the country are regarded as the open sea.
He also spoke about the Jamaran destroyer, saying that it is currently on a patrol mission in the Bab-el-Mandeb strait between the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
Last year, the Iranian Navy launched the Jamaran destroyer, with a displacement of around 1,420 tons and fitted with modern radar and other electronic warfare equipment.
The Jamaran can carry 120-140 personnel on board and is armed with a variety of surface-to-air missiles.
Earlier in the day, on its first international mission, the Jamaran foiled a pirate attack on an Iranian oil tanker in the southern part of the Red Sea off the coast of Hanish Al Kubra Island.