Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov. 26 / Trend S.Isayev, T. Jaffarov/
Iran is able to build an aircraft carrier, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said at a press conference on Saturday, IRNA news agency reported.
Iranian Navy has all the necessary equipment to build an aircraft carrier, however at this time, it is not a priority, Sayyari said.
Earlier, Sayyari was quoted by IRNA, that Islamic Republic's Iranian Navy has made a good progress in production and development of submarines and warships.
Commander Sayyari also said that on November 28, Iranian Navy will receive 3 brand new submarines. He added that Iranian Navy has strategic plans for moving beyond the Mediterranean Sea, till the end of Iranian Year (a year changes in Iran on March 21).
The Iranian Navy has been developing its presence in international waters since last year, regularly launching vessels in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden to protect the Iranian ships from Somali pirates operating in the area.
Iran also sent two ships into the Mediterranean Sea for the first time in February, via the Suez Canal, to annoy Israel and the United States. 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 preliminary notice to the Somali government to enter the territorial waters of that country in pursuit of Somali sea pirates.
The Gulf of Aden links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea. It is an important energy corridor, particularly because Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West through the Suez Canal.