Iran navy seeks to expand presence to Antarctica

Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said that Iran's Navy plans to extend its presence in the international waters near Antarctica, Press TV reported Saturday. "We have the capability to hoist Iran's flags in different regions from the North Pole to the South Pole and we are preparing plans for presence near the South Pole," Sayyari was quoted as saying on Friday. "However, we will never enter the maritime borders of the others," he said. In September, 2011, Sayyari said that Iranian navy had plans to deploy vessels in the Atlantic Ocean near the U.S. sea borders. Just like the U.S. and western powers "are present near our marine borders, we also plan to have strong presence near U.S. marine borders," Sayyari was quoted as saying by state TV. Iran has dispatched its fleet of warships to the Gulf of Aden as part of efforts to provide security for Iranian vessels and oil tankers.