"Now pirates do not have the courage to get close to our vessels due to the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy's 100% control over the region," Sayyari said on Sunday.
"We have had 138 clashes with pirates and they have found the experience to stay away from our ships. That is really the case and they have no courage to come close to our vessels," he added.
Last Sunday, the 24th fleet, including two warships named Sabalan and Khark, were dispatched from the first naval zone on an extraterritorial mission to the Northern Indian Ocean to defend the country's cargo ships and oil tankers against the continued attacks by pirates.
Iran started dispatching warships to the high seas after its cargo vessels and tankers came under attack and were hijacked by Somali pirates. The Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, when Somali raiders hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, MV Delight, off the coast of Yemen.
According to UN Security Council resolutions, different countries can send their warships to the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters of Somalia against the pirates and even with prior notice to Somali government enter the territorial waters of that country in pursuit of Somali sea pirates.
The Gulf of Aden - which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea - is an important energy corridor, particularly because Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West through the Suez Canal.
isna/281
