An Italian Warship Docked on the Shores of Iran After 15 Years

In an action described by the Associated Press as the first docking of a Western warship in Iranian waters in recent years, an Italian warship docked at the shores of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, October 3rd, during an official visit. The Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday, sharing images of the 'Italian ship Euro' docking at the first naval base of the Islamic Republic's Navy, stating that the Italian ship was welcomed on Saturday morning. According to the Associated Press, citing the Italian Navy, the Euro is part of the European Union's anti-piracy mission and will dock in the waters of Bandar Abbas for three days before returning to Italy. The Italian Navy also released an image of an Iranian girl presenting flowers to an Italian officer during the welcoming ceremony, emphasizing that this visit is part of the resumption of 'historical and excellent' relations between the navies of the two countries. Tasnim's report also mentioned that the deployment of this Italian ship was for 'political, cultural, and military' purposes, with the Italian ambassador and military attaché in Tehran present at the welcoming ceremony. According to this report, visits to some islands in Hormozgan, as well as tours of the 'defensive military achievements of the Navy,' and conducting joint naval exercises were among the planned activities for the Italian ship. Tasnim also recalled that earlier in mid-September, a 'high-ranking Italian delegation' met with Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, commander of the Islamic Republic's Navy, to develop relations between the two countries. The news agency also quoted Rear Admiral Hossein Azad, commander of the first naval zone of the Army, stating that the Army's Navy actively hosts naval groups from other countries every year through participation in international maritime forums and naval voyages. This Iranian military commander emphasized that the goal of such visits is 'international maritime interactions' and, in some cases, 'joint naval exercises' with other countries. Regarding maritime cooperation between Iran and Italy, military expert Hossein Aryan stated that the relations between Iran and Italy in this field have a long history. He noted that after the establishment of the Navy in Iran during Reza Shah's era, the first group of Iranian naval students was sent to Italy for training, and the nascent Iranian Navy purchased several ships from Italy before World War II. The Associated Press recalled that the last time an Italian warship visited Iran was over 15 years ago in April 2001 when the 'Bersagliere' docked in Iranian waters. Previously, the 'Italian ship Euro' had visited Iran in 1999. Following the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, which led to the lifting of nuclear sanctions against the Islamic Republic, Iran has prioritized the development of relations with Western countries. However, in recent years, the southern waters of Iran, especially in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, have been scenes of confrontations between Iranian speedboats and American warships, with several IRGC speedboats creating disturbances for American vessels in the Persian Gulf in recent weeks. Iran even detained several American soldiers in its waters for a short period last December, just before the implementation of the nuclear agreement, and recently a deputy commander of the IRGC Navy announced that this force had previously detained Canadian and Australian military personnel in the Persian Gulf. The mission to protect Iran's southern waters is divided between the Army's Navy and the IRGC Navy, and based on a division of labor established in the 1980s, the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz are designated as the operational area of the IRGC, while from the Strait of Hormuz to the border point of Gwadar with Pakistan in the Sea of Oman is designated as the operational area of the Army's Navy.