Iran's
Navy warships have foiled two pirate attacks on an Iranian cargo vessel
close to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, off the coast of Somalia in the Horn
of Africa.
The Iranian freighter first came under attack on Sunday after 40 armed people on board six skiffs approached the ship at high speed some 115 nautical miles northwest of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
The Iranian warships patrolling the area rushed to assist the cargo vessel upon its distress call, which reported an unauthorized boarding attempt by several people.
Iranian Navy marines thwarted the attack by opening fire on the pirates.
Pirates later launched another attack on the Iranian vessel some 155 nautical miles northwest of the strait. However, they were repelled again and forced to leave the area.
In line with international efforts against piracy, Iran's Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008 to safeguard maritime trade and in particular ships and oil tankers owned or leased by Iran.
In May 2011, International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos described the anti-piracy efforts by Iran's Navy as “effective.”
Somalia has been in strife since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. Strategically located in the Horn of Africa, it has been embroiled in a bitter civil war for years.
The lawless state has been without a functioning government ever since and the authority of the so-called Transitional Federal Government is limited mostly to the area around the capital city, Mogadishu.
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