“The overhaul of the Islamic Republic’s destroyer, Lavan, is complete and [the vessel] will soon join the Navy,” Sayyari said on Sunday while elaborating on the latest achievements of the country's naval forces.
Sayyari highlighted the importance of a strong naval force, saying, “The Navy should be able to defend national interests in territorial and free waters so that it could guarantee the country’s progress.”
In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.
Iran's Navy launched the renovated Shaheed Bayandor destroyer on June 11. Also, Jamaran-2, a Mowj-class warship which joined the country’s naval forces on March 16, has been designed and built by Iranian experts using state-of-the-art navigation equipment and complex defensive systems.
Tehran has repeatedly assured other countries that its military might poses no threat to other states, insisting that the Islamic Republic’s defense doctrine is entirely based on deterrence.
When asked whether Iran had dispatched a fleet to the Mediterranean in the face of the US military buildup there for an attack on Syria, Sayyari said the Iranian Navy has not received any orders to send military ships near the Syrian coastlines.
The US has deployed five destroyers to eastern Mediterranean as part of its plans to launch a military strike against Syria. The US has stepped up its war rhetoric against Syria based on accusations that the government in Damascus used chemical weapons against militants on August 21.
The Syrian administration has categorically rejected the charges as part of a false flag operation.
