Iran Navy Chief: US Must Leave Region

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – There is no place for American forces in the region anymore, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said.

“Today, the era of American free action in the region is over, and they (US forces) must leave the region gradually,” Rear Admiral Khanzadi told reporters on Sunday on the sidelines of a joint naval exercise of Iran, Russia and China, which is underway in the Sea of Oman and the northern parts of the Indian Ocean.

“We believe that regional security does not require the presence of those (foreign) countries, and that regional countries themselves can ensure security together,” he added.

The Iranian Navy commander also expressed hope that more regional states would join Iran in the efforts to ensure security.

“We believe that maritime security definitely needs collective action,” Khanzadi added.

He went on to say that friends of Iran and those favoring regional security have welcomed the joint naval drill, while the US and its proxies who seek to impose inappropriate security arrangements on the region would receive “significant messages” from the war game.

Iran, Russia and China are holding a four-day joint naval exercise, dubbed Marine Security Belt, in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman.

The war game comes amid US efforts to woo countries into a maritime coalition for patrols in the Persian Gulf, which have received lukewarm welcome from its allies.

Source: tasnimnews.com

Japan green-lights MSDF dispatch to Middle East amid tensions

TOKYO, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) — The Japanese Cabinet on Friday approved the dispatch of Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) personnel to the Middle East amid tensions in the region, despite public opposition and post-war military constraints restricting the nation’s military activities constitutionally.

The planned deployment, backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition ally, Komeito, is to purportedly conduct information-gathering operations and others related to enhancing the safety of commercial shipping in the region.

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Source: xinhuanet.com

IRGC Navy Urges Iranian Fishermen Not to Respond to Foreign Vessels

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy called on Iranian fishermen not to respond to foreign warships passing through the Persian Gulf waters, saying they have no right to question Iranian sailors.

In a statement addressed to all Iranian fishermen on Monday, the IRGC Navy said neither the US’ vessels nor those of other countries have the right to inspect, seize or question any of Iranian fishing boats, particularly in Iran’s territorial waters.

The statement further described any move by foreign ships to question Iranian vessels as being “against the national interests and in violation of international law”.

The IRGC Navy also called on all Iranian fishermen not to cooperate with foreign vessels and immediately inform IRGC patrols via Channel 16 VHF if they are questioned by them.

Earlier this month, Commander of the IRGC Navy Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri highlighted his forces’ powerful presence in the Persian Gulf and said all foreign vessels passing through the waters are closely monitored by the IRGC Navy.

“The IRGC Navy checks and monitors foreign vessels entering the Persian Gulf and questions them about their nationality, the type of the vessels, and their destination,” Rear Admiral Tangsiri told Tasnim.

All foreign vessels, including those belonging to the United States, have always been answerable to the IRGC Navy, the commander added.

He further emphasized that the monitoring of foreign vessels in the Persian Gulf is “an inalienable right” of the Islamic Republic.

“The Persian Gulf belongs to Iran and other littoral states and we have the right to question the vessels because the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz is located in Iran’s territorial waters,” Rear Admiral Tangsiri stated.

Source: tasnimnews.com

HMS Defender Seizes Record Haul of Crystal Meth

On 19 December, Her Majesty’s Ship (HMS) DEFENDER, a UK Royal Navy destroyer operating in the Gulf of Oman in direct support of Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150), seized 131 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine from a dhow they had been following.

The suspicious vessel was first detected using DEFENDER’s ‘WILDCAT’ shipborne helicopter. DEFENDER then closed the dhow and a team of Royal Marine Commandos in Pacific 24 sea boats boarded and secured the vessel. It was then searched by a Royal Navy boarding team who found 11 packages of narcotics, with an estimated regional wholesale value of $280,000 U.S. dollars.

The Commanding Officer of HMS Defender, Cdr Richard Hewitt MBE said: “I am really proud that Defender has been able to interdict such a significant quantity of drugs and prevent it reaching the streets. Even over the festive season, the Royal Navy is at sea 24/7 working as part of Combined Task Force 150. This has been a real boost for the ship’s company as they face Christmas away from their loved ones.”

HMS DEFENDER’s haul, on their first day working under Combined Maritime Forces, is CTF150’s largest interdiction of crystal methamphetamine for 2019; more than doubling the amount seized so far. It takes CTF150’s overall narcotics seizures this year to $48.5m.

“This is the second narcotics shipment in a week we’ve kept from reaching its destination,” said Commodore Ray Leggatt, Royal Australian Navy, Commander of CTF 150. “With this action, and more to come, we are impacting terrorists’ ability to operate in this region and around the world. Well done to the crew of HMS DEFENDER for their keen eye, skill, and precision in prosecuting this high seas take down.”

Australia assumed command of CTF 150 in early December, with a staff made up of personnel from the Royal Australian, Royal Canadian, and Royal New Zealand navies. HMS DEFENDER’s success under their command follows that of French Ship Courbet last weekend, who seized 3,545kg of hashish with an estimated regional wholesale value of $1.8m.

CTF150 has seen a huge increase in the amount of crystal methamphetamine being smuggled year on year, with 257kg interdicted to date in 2019, versus only 9kg in 2018.

CTF 150’s mission is to disrupt terrorist organisations and their related illegal activities by restricting their freedom of manoeuvre in the maritime domain. The activities of CTF 150 are a critical part of global counter-terrorism efforts, as terrorist organisations are denied a risk-free method of conducting operations or moving personnel, weapons or income-generating narcotics and charcoal.

Source: combinedmaritimeforces.com

Indian, French navies to carry out joint patrolling in Indian Ocean Region

New Delhi, Dec 9 (PTI) India and France will soon launch a joint naval patrolling in the region to protect their strategic interests, including to check large scale illegal fishing, a top commander of the French Navy said on Monday.

Vice admiral Didier Maleterre, who is Joint Commander of the French forces deployed in the Indian Ocean region, also said that the two navies will ink an agreement early next year providing for sharing of classified information for better operational cooperation in the region.

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Source: outlookindia.com

CTF150 (FS Nivose) Achieves Major Drugs Bus in Arabian Sea

A French warship, representing Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150) seized a huge amount of hashish from a rogue dhow on Wednesday 25 September. The dhow had been tracked for a short period and did not respond to requests from the warship, FS NIVOSE, on her intentions. Highly trained French sailors, in military rigid inflatable boats, conducted a boarding and in the subsequent search, over 2.5 tonnes of the illegal narcotic was discovered and subsequently destroyed.

Commodore Ed Ahlgren Royal Navy, the Commander of Combined Task Force 150, said, ”This substantial seizure clearly and unequivocally demonstrates the true value and significant impact of CMF operations on those malign actors who choose to use the sea for their unlawful purposes. The French warship, FS NIVOSE, operating in Direct Support of the joint UK and French CTF 150 Command, has sought tenaciously those who wish to do us harm and incite instability in both this region and further afield. Thanks to their efforts, they have disrupted a vital flow of funding to nefarious organisations and I congratulate the crew of FS NIVOSE on their success and wish them good hunting for their forthcoming operations.”

CTF 150 is a great example of how the cooperation between international maritime members of the CMF can work together to achieve the common goal of deterring or catching those who risk being a part of illegal narcotics smuggling.

Source: combinedmaritimeforces.com