Minister: We Need Advanced Marine Industry

Date: 18 June 2023 - 21:39

News ID: ۱۱۶۲۴۷

TEHRAN -- Defense Minister Brigadier General Muhammad Reza Ashtiani says Iran regards the high seas as the frontline of the nation’s encounter against the enemies, pointing to the need for the advanced marine industry to maintain a formidable presence in international waterways.
“The seas are the frontline of our confrontation and encounter with the enemies, and some of the threats against the Islamic Republic of Iran are rooted in the seas,” he said during a ceremony at the Marine Industries Organization (MIO), a subsidiary of Iran’s defense ministry.
“Therefore, we need an advanced, formidable and multi-purpose marine industry with international capabilities in order to maintain a powerful presence in waterways and water land,” he noted.
Ashtiani described maritime science and technology in the defense field as “the driving force” for the country’s naval industry, pointing out the we owe the new naval outlook to the thinking of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in terms of the strategic status of the high seas and his demands in the naval sphere. .
The scientific chain of the marine industry will be completed through the support of various defense ministry departments such as missile, radar, air defense and electronics, he added.
The minister stressed the importance of creative and innovative use of defense developments as well as the building of new products using current capacities.
A powerful maritime presence, he said, is vital for the country’s economy, trade, industry and defense.
Iran’s navy has in recent years achieved self-sufficiency in manufacturing surface and sub-surface vessels.
It has also increased its presence in international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for merchant vessels and tankers. The navy has foiled several attacks on both Iranian and foreign tankers during its missions in international waters.
Recently, the Iranian navy’s 86th flotilla of warships, comprising indigenous Dena destroyer and Makran forward base ship, successfully completed a round-the-world voyage after sailing 63,000 kilometers of sea routes over a period of eight months.