Iran Warship Joins Anti-Pirate Patrol

Iranian state radio says Iran has sent a warship to the coast of Somalia to protect its cargo ships against piracy.

The Saturday report says the ship has arrived in Somali waters.

The Iranian ship joins vessels from the U.S., Denmark, Italy, Russia and other countries in patrolling the Gulf of Aden.

Members of the public look as one of the six British Naval warships is escorted by a pilot boat as it sails out of the port of Mombasa , Friday, Dec. 19, 2008. The ship is among the six warships which are being used by the European Union to escort World Food Programme (WFP) ships ferrying relief food from the port of Mombasa to Somalia against pirates who have been hijacking ships along the Somali waters. The naval warships and three helicopters will also be used by the European Union to patrol along the Somali and Kenyan waters against pirates.(AP Photo)

The gulf leads to the Suez Canal and is the quickest route from Asia to Europe and the Americas.

China also has said it is sending warships to the region.

Pirates have made an estimated $30 million hijacking ships for ransom this year, seizing more than 40 vessels off Somalia’s 1,880-mile coastline.

In November, a cargo ship operated by Iran was hijacked off the coast of Somalia, the second since July.