Iranian fleet participates in Russia’s Navy Day parade
Iranian Navy’s Caspian Sea fleet on Sunday participated in Russia’s annual Navy Day event, a traditional show of military might which takes place in the Gulf of Finland and on the River Neva in St. Petersburg.
Russian President Vladimir Putin reviewed the parade of warships and nuclear submarines and announced that the Russian Navy would receive 30 new ships this year.
Forty-five ships, submarines and other vessels took part in the event. Around 3,000 navy personnel also took part in a parade on land, the Kremlin said.
Putin, accompanied by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, the head of the Navy, inspected some of the ships from a launch boat on the Neva before making a speech.
“Today, Russia is confidently implementing the large-scale tasks of our national maritime policy and is consistently building up the strength of our Navy,” said Putin. “This year alone, 30 ships of different classes are being added to the fleet,” he said.
Four African heads of state attended Sunday’s event and five other African countries sent representatives, according to the Kremlin.
They were invited after a Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg, which concluded on Friday, at which delegates discussed grain supplies and potential peace talks on Ukraine.
Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani also traveled to Russia to attend the ceremony.
Upon his arrival in St. Petersburg, the Iranian commander told reporters that Iran’s naval forces will try to achieve an effective and successful presence in the international arena and raise the Iranian flag.
The navy chief highlighted naval diplomacy as a key mission pursued by navies worldwide, including the Iranian Navy.
He stressed that annual joint exercises conducted with the navies of Russia and China in Chabahar, the Makran coast, and the Indian Ocean were part of their naval diplomacy efforts.
Admiral Irani added that he had participated in Russia’s Navy Day upon the official invitation of the Commander of the Russian
Navy.
In July 2021, Iranian Navy destroyer Sahand and its accompanying support vessel Makran participated in the naval parade on the occasion of Russian Navy Day in St. Petersburg.
Iranian naval forces, together with their Russian counterparts, have held several joint war games in recent years with the purpose of improving the security of international maritime trade, countering piracy and maritime terrorism, exchange of information in naval rescue and relief operations, and exchange of operational and tactical experiences.