Iranian navy rescues U.S. commercial ship from pirates

PanARMENIAN.Net - Iranian Naval forces have rescued an American commercial vessel attacked by sea pirates in the Gulf of Aden, Press TV reports.

The Public Affairs Office of the Islamic Republic’s Navy announced in a Thursday, May 24 statement that its forces rescued the U.S. commercial ship that had come under attack by several pirate boats near the Sea of Oman.

After receiving a distress signal from the American vessel, a naval fleet of Iran’s Navy, which was on a patrol mission in the area, sailed towards the U.S. ship.

According to the statement, the pirate boats fled the area immediately as they spotted the approaching Iranian naval forces.

The crew of the American ship, the statement added, thanked the Iranian naval fleet for its timely response to their request for help. It then continued safely on its journey toward its intended destination.

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.

The Gulf of Aden, which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea, is the quickest route for more than 20,000 vessels traveling annually between Asia, Europe and the Americas.