Iranian war ship docks at the Dar es Salaam Port
Tanzania has reached an agreement with the Iranian navy providing for Tanzanian navy officers to be trained by the Iranian Navy, a news agency associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, the FARS News Agency, has reported.
The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Republic of Tanzania, H.E. Mehdi Agha Jafari has told the news agency “Tehran has pick up to train Tanzanian navy officers [sic].
“Aqa Jafari’s remarks came after the Navy’s 30th Flotilla of warships dispatched to the high seas left Dar As-Salaam port after berthing in the Tanzanian coast. The Flotilla is comprised of Alvand destroyer and Bushehr logistics-combat vessel,” the news agency has reported.
Iranian Ambassador to Tanzania H.E. Mehdi Agha Jafari
The envoy reportedly expressed pleasure in the positive trend of the expansion of the relations between Iran and Tanzania, and said the two countries’ military officials also agreed that Iran’s operational and training warships make regular visits to Tanzania.
According to Aqa Jafari, the Tanzanian military officials also called on Iran to share its experience with them to further strengthen the East African country’s navy.
Iran’s naval power has even been acknowledged by foes, FARS News Agency claims, adding that “in a Sep. 11, 2008 report, the Washington Institute for the Near East Policy said that in the two decades since the Iraqi imposed war on Iran, the Islamic Republic has excelled in naval capabilities and is able to wage unique asymmetric warfare against larger naval forces.”
According to the report, Iran’s Navy has been transformed into a highly motivated, well-equipped, and well-financed force and is effectively in control of the world’s oil lifeline, the Strait of Hormuz, FARS News agency says.
Iran’s 30th Fleet of the Iranian Navy docked at the Dar es Salaam Port this mid-June, 2014. The flotilla, comprised of the Alvand frigate and Bushehr light replenishment ship. The ships arrived at the port on Thursday, June 12, 2014 after accomplishing missions in the Gulf of Aden, Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea, the Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told the Iranian TV station, PRESS TV.
The Iranian Ambassador to Tanzania, , H.E. Mehdi Agha Jafari (L) , holds a tête-à-tête with Tanzania President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete at State House recently
This is the first time the fleet has entered the southern Indian Ocean. It stayed at the Port of Dar es Salaam for three or four days, the commander told the TV station, adding that the 30th Fleet of the Iranian Navy had traveled to Tanzania to convey “the message of peace and friendship to the nation, and it would either return to the Gulf of Aden or sail toward South Africa after its stopover in Tanzania.” The ships have sailed away to south African at the time of this publication.
In recent years, Iran’s Navy has been increasing its presence in international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for merchant vessels and tankers, PRESS TV reported. In line with international efforts to combat piracy, the Iranian Navy has also been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008 to safeguard the vessels involved in maritime trade, especially the ships and oil tankers owned or leased by Iran.
