Remember the mighty Iranian “fleet” that — according to Iran’s military and panicking Western newspapers — was en route to the US coast in January?
Americans from New York to Washington to Miami can breathe easier today. The flotilla has been recalled.
Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said Sunday that the fleet — a destroyer and a logistics ship carrying three helicopters — had been ordered home before it “could start its voyage in the Atlantic Ocean”.
Sayyari did not explain why the Iranian military said in January that the two ships were already in the Atlantic, having moved around the southern tip of Africa. Days later, the fleet magically traveled backwards thousands of miles — Iran’s commanders said it was near the Gulf of Aden off the Arabian peninsula.
See Iran Daily, Feb 23: Tehran’s Mysterious “Fleet” of Warships — Where is It Now?
Helping Tehran Spread Its Propaganda “Warships Sailing Towards US Borders”
Instead, the admiral promised that another “fleet” would be despatched. The flotilla will again consist of a destroyer and a logistics warship, but this time will be carrying only one helicopter.
At the same time, he said there was no guarantee that the warships would see America: “Considering the conditions of the region, it’s possible that the mission of a flotilla is changed. for instance, if the pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden are intensified, some changes will be made in the mission of the fleets of warships.”