An Iranian satellite placed into orbit earlier this year reportedly has sent back a photo of the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain as part of its first batch of high-resolution images.

The Noor-2 satellite, which was launched by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in March, also captured photos of the southern Iranian provinces of Fars and Bushehr, Iran’s Press TV reported, citing the IRNA news agency.

“Who would have thought that one day an Iranian satellite stationed at an orbit of 311 miles can carry out color imaging from the entire surface of the Earth and send the images to ground stations that have also been built by the Iranian youth,” Issa Zarepour, Iran’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology, reportedly wrote in an Instagram post.

This is the first time that a homegrown satellite has sent back high resolution true-color images,” he added.

The Iranian military is planning to send a series of satellites into space in the upcoming years to bolster its defense capabilities, Press TV reported. The first satellite of its kind was launched in April 2020, it added.

The U.S. Navy says the Fifth Fleet’s area of operations “encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.”

“The expanse is comprised of 20 countries and includes three chokepoints, critical to the free flow of global commerce,” the Navy added.

Meanwhile, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said earlier this week that the country is trying to permanently deploy its naval forces in free waters to defend Iran’s interests.

He stressed that Iran wants to have a permanent presence in high waters, Fars News Agency (FNA) reported.

He added that the Iranian Navy is at the forefront of defending the Islamic Republic of Iran and maintains a presence 2,000 kilometers away from borders to safeguard the country’s interests.

The Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, when Somali raiders hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, MV Delight, off the coast of Yemen.

According to UN Security Council resolutions, different countries can send their warships to the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters of Somalia against the pirates and even with prior notice to Somali government enter the territorial waters of that country in pursuit of Somali sea pirates.

The Gulf of Aden - which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea - is an important energy corridor, particularly because Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West via the Suez Canal.