finally defeating and capturing them, Navy Commander Adm. Habibollah Sayyari announced Tuesday.
Sayyari said the pirates had captured an Iranian merchant ship carrying 10,000 tons of goods from South Africa last month. He did not give the date of the capture or the name of the vessel.
Sayyari said the Jamaran caught up with the captured merchant ship last Friday and fought a battle with the pirates that lasted 36 hours over that day and the next day.
He said the Jamaran finally defeated the merchant ship, boarded it and captured the pirates on board, who were variously numbered at 12 and 13 in different Iranian news accounts.
Sayyari said two of the merchant seamen were killed and another injured during the battle.
He said the battle took place 3,000 kilometers from Iran’s shoreline.
The pirates have been brought to Iran to face trial.
It was not explained why it took 36 hours for a heavily-armed warship with a crew of more than 100 to defeat an unarmed merchant vessel with a crew of a dozen.
The Islamic Republic has boasted that the Jamaran was made entirely by Iran with only Iranian-made components, although photos released when it was unveiled show a German firm’s nameplate on equipment on the top deck.
