Iran’s IRGC To Establish Permanent Military Base In Indian Ocean

ViaAlmasdarNews.com,

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced its intention to establish a permanent military base in the Indian Ocean by next March, with the aim of providing security in the waters of the Gulf of Oman and the ocean, and protecting fishermen and merchant ships from piracy.

The commander of the Naval Forces, Ali Reza Tungsiri, said that the Guards have directives from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, to be present on the high seas permanently.

In a press statement, Tungsiri said that the Iranian Army and Revolutionary Guards have previously sent fleets to the high seas, stressing that other future fleets will be sent.

The military official pointed out that Iranian fishermen and merchant ships were exposed to harassment by pirates in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean, stressing that the permanent presence of the guards in those areas would prevent any future attacks.

“The deployment of the fleet by the IRGC navy to distant waters has been done in the past, and our second fleet was also sent to the waters of the Indian Ocean,” the naval commander said.

“[Building a permanent marine base will improve] security in the mouth of the Indian Ocean that will also be of great help to the growing presence of Iranian fishing and fishing development in the region,” he added.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg mentioned that the Monday comments in Fars News Agency Agency didn’t specify a planned location for the base. Bloomberg also recalled that:

In April, Guard Corps gunboats approached American ships at close range, prompting President Donald Trump to order the U.S. Navy to open fire in any repeat confrontation. Iran, Russia and China late last year held joint naval drills in the Gulf of Oman and northern Indian Ocean.

It is also noteworthy to mention that Iran possesses the strategic port of Chabahar on the waters of the Indian Ocean and the Sea of ​​Oman, but its development suffers from difficulties due to the U.S. sanctions on Tehran.