Iran sends warships on rare Atlantic mission

An Iranian destroyer and support vessel are sailing in the Atlantic Ocean in a rare mission far from the Islamic Republic, Iran’s state TV has reported.

The trip by the new domestically built destroyer Sahand and the intelligence-gathering vessel Makran comes amid US media reports that the ships are bound for Venezuela.

The vessels departed last month from Iran’s southern port of Bandar Abbas, said Admiral Habibollah Sayyari.

He described their mission as the Iranian navy’s longest and most challenging voyage yet.