TEHRAN, May 18 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian Navy escort team on Wednesday defeated an attack by suspected pirates on an Iranian ship on route in the Red Sea, the official news agency IRNA reported.
"The Navy escort team intervened and clashed with the attacking boats in the area this morning after receiving a message of help from an Iranian ship that it has been attacked by unidentified boats in the Red Sea," Iranian Navy Commander Shahram Irani was quoted as saying.
"With the arrival of the navy escort team and the exchange of fire between the attacking boats and the escort team, the attackers left the scene," he added.
This is the Iranian Navy's second clash with pirates in international waters in a week, after Iranian media reported Sunday that the navy thwarted a pirate attack on an Iranian cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden. ■
