China Seeks Anti-piracy Training From Iran

China and many other nations have requested Iran to train their marine and commando task forces for anti-piracy missions.

"Given our forces' power and preparedness and the type of our trainings, other countries, including China, have demanded us to train them how to repel pirate attacks against their ships,"  Commander of Army Marine Training Base in Northern Iran Second Admiral Alireza Bayati said. The Iranian army's marine training centers always update their methods based on enemies' threats, Bayati added.

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, specifically as Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West via the Suez Canal.

In a latest event late October, the Navy's Jamaran destroyer rescued an Iranian oil tanker in the international waters after fierce battles with pirates sailing on 7 boats.

Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said that the Iranian Navy's 36th flotilla of warships which includes Jamaran destroyer and Bushehr logistic warship has started its mission in free and international waters since late September to deliver security to the country's cargo ships.