Iran’s Navy Repels Pirate Attack on Oil Tankers

Pirates in five speedboats reportedly tried to take over two Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Aden. Iran’s navy managed to fend off the attack, state television announced. The attack happened on Saturday and afterward, the two tankers were able to pass through the gulf safely. The navy was escorting the vessels because its ships have been subject to more frequent pirate attacks. Among the naval vessels escorting the tankers was the Alborz destroyer ship. Iran’s navy commander, Admiral Shahram Irani, told the official Islamic Republic News Agency that Iranian shots were fired during the altercation, which forced “the attackers to leave the area.”