TEHRAN – Iran is to deploy its newest warship to the Atlantic Ocean on afive-month mission — the navy’s longest in a decade, the conservative Farsnews agency reported on Saturday.

“The navy has had a plan to deploy a flotilla to the Atlantic Ocean for afew years and now everything seems prepared to launch the mission,” saidFars, which is considered close to Iran’s military.

Rear Admiral Touraj Hassani-Moghadam told the official IRNA news agency onFriday that the mission would start early in the next Iranian year, whichbegins in late March.

The flotilla will comprise the new guided missile frigate destroyer escortSahand, which was unveiled just last month, and the recently upgraded33,000-ton fuel ship Kharg.

The vessels are expected to dock in a friendly Latin American country suchas Venezuela, Fars said.

The ships are among Iran’s largest and both are capable of carryinghelicopters.

The Sahand is a more advanced version of the Iranian-built Jamaran classwhich 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. – APP/AFP