“The navy has had a plan to deploy a flotilla to the Atlantic Ocean for a few years and now everything seems prepared to launch the mission,” said Fars, which is considered close to Iran’s military. The flotilla will comprise the new guided missile frigate destroyer escort Sahand, which was unveiled just last month, and the recently upgraded 33,000-ton fuel ship Kharg. The vessels are expected to dock in a friendly Latin American country such as Venezuela, Fars said. The Sahand is a more advanced version of the Iranian-built Jamaran class which went into service over the past decade. It is a radar-evading stealth ship capable of electronic warfare, Rear-Admiral Alireza Sheikhi told IRNA last month.

Source: The Guardian January 05, 2019 08:03 UTC