Iran is planning to start the construction of a destroyer with a displacement of almost 6,000 tonnes already in 2020, the head of the Iranian Defence Ministry's Marine Industries Organisation said on Friday in an interview with the state-run Mehr news agency.
"In the defence ministry we are working on the construction of a 6,000-ton destroyer in the long-run," Rear Admiral Amir Rastegari said, as quoted by the agency, adding that executive preparations for the project will commence this year.
According to Rastegari, the destroyer will ensure the ministry's persistent strategic presence in international waters.
The admiral also noted that destroyers and giant submarines would make up a major part of the Iranian navy’s fleet in the near future, adding that Iran ranks first among the Persian Gulf littoral states in terms of producing marine equipment.
