Iran's top leader urges boost of naval power

TEHRAN, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday hailed the country's naval achievements and urged the need for the navy to speed up its progress in various fields, Press TV reported.

Iran's Navy is "on the frontline" of defending the nation in the important waters in the south of the country, Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with navy commanders and personnel on the occasion of the National Navy Day.

He stressed the necessity of enhancing the navy's combat readiness and military equipment, saying that Iran's maritime force is "today far more advanced and capable than 20 years ago, but this level of progress is not satisfactory."

This trend of rapid progress should be pursued in all sectors "with high determination and morale," Khamenei was quoted as saying.

On Monday, Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said that the Iranian Navy is "self-sufficient in manufacturing surface and sub-sea vessels."

Khanzadi said that the missile-launching Separ (Shield) warship would be unveiled in the coming days, adding that the vessel is domestically built.

The warship is "faster" and "more advanced" than its predecessors, he said.

Also, Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri on Monday highlighted the achievements made by Iran's naval forces to safeguard national interests as well as their effective role in ensuring the security of trans-regional and international waters, including the Gulf of Aden and the north of the Indian Ocean.

Baqeri also said that "convergence" and "coordination" among the naval forces of the Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has helped foil the "adventurist" plots in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Strait of Hormuz. Enditem