{"id":27484,"date":"2019-08-26T15:07:18","date_gmt":"2019-08-26T15:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/08\/26\/iran-deploys-2-warships-to-gulf-of-aden\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:18:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:18:49","slug":"iran-deploys-2-warships-to-gulf-of-aden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/08\/26\/iran-deploys-2-warships-to-gulf-of-aden\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran deploys 2 warships to Gulf of Aden"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TEHRAN, Iran \u2014 Iran\u2019s navy says it has deployed two warships to the Gulf of Aden<\/a> aimed at providing security to the country\u2019s commercial shipping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Piracy is a major concern in the Gulf of Aden, located between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa, and ships must pass through it when transiting the Suez Canal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iranian state TV said Monday that the destroyer Sahand<\/a> carries surface-to-surface missiles, air defense systems and torpedoes, while the supply ship\/replenishment oiler Kharg<\/a> has a helicopter pad and serves in a logistical role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move comes amid a growing confrontation between Iran and the West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran still holds a British-flagged tanker seized in July the Persian Gulf after a supertanker carrying Iranian oil was detained off Gibraltar, a British overseas territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Iranian ship was released earlier this month, and Iran said Monday that its oil has been sold to an unnamed buyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Renamed Adrian Aryra 1, the super tanker hosting an Iranian flag sails in the waters in the British territory of Gibraltar on Aug. 18. (Marcos Moreno\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Adrian Darya<\/a>, previously known as the Grace 1, carries 2.1 million barrels of crude, worth some $130 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Government spokesman Ali Rabiei made the announcement at a news conference on Monday in Tehran. He says the buyer of the oil will decide the ship\u2019s ultimate destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tanker was held for weeks off Gibraltar after being seized by authorities there on suspicion of violating EU sanctions on Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. has a warrant in federal court to seize the ship and has been warning nations not to accept it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ship had put its destination as Turkey, but later removed it. It\u2019s still in the Mediterranean Sea heading east.<\/p>\n\n\n\t