Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said that Iran's navy equipments in North Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden compete with powerful navies of other countries, the Islamic Republic's official IRNA news agency reported Feb. 2.
"Powerful navies of other countries present in the North Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden have accepted Iran as a powerful navy in the region," Sayyari said in a meeting with armed forces and navy industries officials in Tehran.
Referring to the Iranian Navy as a strategic force, Sayyari said presence in international waters is important for the country.
"Iran aims at having a constant presence in open seas," he underlined.
He added as it was instructed by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, one of the major goals of the Iranian Navy is to expand its defense lines in international waters.
Sayyari stressed that maintaining national interests of the country is key responsibility of its armed forces.
He added presence of Iran's Navy in the Gulf of Oman and North Indian Ocean is to prevent hegemonic powers from dominating other nations' resources by controlling their waterways.
The commander referred to a powerful naval fleet, an active commercial shipping line and powerful navy industries as three sides of the triangle of the naval authority.