Iranian destroyers Sahand and Kharg arrive in Gulf of Aden.

Iran’s navy said Monday, August 26, 2019, that it has deployed two warships, the Sahand and the Kharg, to the Gulf of Aden aimed at providing security to the country’s commercial shipping. The move comes amid a growing confrontation between Iran and the West.

Iranian naval forces attend an inauguration ceremony for the domestically-built destroyer Sahand, in Bandar Abbas, Iran (Picture source: Iranian naval forces)

Iran's navy says it has deployed two warships to the Gulf of Aden aimed at providing security to the country's commercial shipping. 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.

The move comes amid a growing confrontation between Iran and the West. Iran still holds a British-flagged tanker seized in July in the Persian Gulf after a supertanker carrying Iranian oil was detained off Gibraltar, a British overseas territory. The Iranian ship was released earlier this month, and Iran said Monday that its oil has been sold to an unnamed buyer.

Iranian state TV said Monday that the Sahand, built-in 2012, carries surface to surface missiles, air defense systems and torpedoes. He is equipped with anti-aircraft batteries and sophisticated radar and radar-evading capabilities. According to reports, the 1,300-ton vessel, named after a mountain in northern Iran, has a helicopter landing pad, is 96 meters long and can cruise at 25 knots. For its part, the Kharg has a helicopter pad and serves in a logistical role.