He made the remarks during a meeting with the commander and staff of the 86th flotilla, who recently completed a historic circumnavigation of the world for the first time in the country’s history, as well as their families on Sunday morning.
Ayatollah Khamenei said what the flotilla did was a great accomplishment, which only a few navies in the world can do.
“You voyaged through three oceans and returned home proud,” he said, addressing the group of 350 people who traveled 65,000 kilometers around the world.
He also commemorated the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country, saying, “Everything we have is from these nobilities.”
The 86th flotilla, comprised of the domestically manufactured Dena destroyer and Makran forward base ship, docked at the southern port of Bandar Abbas on May 20, formally ending its historic mission of circumnavigating the world.
It had set sail from Bandar Abbas on September 20 last year for a global voyage that took it to the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans.
The mission was aimed at expanding Iran’s naval presence in international waters.
High seas belong to all countries
Elsewhere in his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the members of the 86th flotilla as well as their families.
“This move of yours was a security-creating move,” he said. “This presence of yours in remote areas, in the farthest parts of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, was a contribution to the country’s security.”
The Supreme Leader added, “You showed that the high seas belong to everyone; the high seas are not owned by anyone. The superpowers will indeed register themselves as the owners of the oceans if they can...”
He also said the Americans harass oil tankers and help smuggling gangs in the Persian Gulf region and elsewhere in the world.
“This is a violation of international humanitarian law that cannot be overlooked,” he argued.
“You practically implemented this law of public safety of the seas for everyone,” Ayatollah Khamenei told the attendees.
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