Iran's Navy thwarted attempts by pirates to seize two Iranian merchant vessels near Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia.
The two vessels were attacked by 30-50 pirate speedboats respectively at 15 and 26 miles northwest of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, Iran's Navy Deputy Commander Rear Admiral Mahmoud Moussavi said Saturday.
The pirates fled after Iran's Navy took swift action and opened heavy fire on them, he added.
Mousavi added that the vessels were carrying millions of dollars worth of goods.
The Iranian Navy dispatched several fleets of warships to the Gulf of Aden and North of the Indian Ocean to protect the country's cargo ships and oil tankers against 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.
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Attempts by pirates to hijack two Iranian cargo ships in waters South of India were foiled after timely action by Iranian naval forces.
News ID 182502
