Iranian Navy Sends Submarines to Red Sea, in Response to Israeli Naval Provocations

Iranian Navy Deploys Submarines in High Seas

June 7, 2011, TEHRAN (FNA)-

Informed sources said that the Iranian Navy has deployed its submarines in far seas as part of its plan for widening its naval presence in the high seas and oceans.

An informed source told FNA on Tuesday that the submarines were deployed in international waters together with the dispatch of 14th fleet of warships sent by Iran to the high seas.

The move comes after high-ranking Navy commanders announced preparedness to send submarines to long-term missions.

The source said that Iran's fleet of warships is now in the Red Sea as part of its naval mission.

"Identifying combat vessels of the different world countries, collecting information about sea beds in international waters are among the main tasks of these submarines," the source added.

The Iranian Navy dispatched its 14th flotilla of warships to the Gulf of Aden in May to protect the country's cargo ships and oil tankers against Somali pirates.

The 14th fleet of warships, comprised of IRI Bandar Abbas Warship and IRI Shahid Naqdi Destroyer, is tasked with patrolling and providing security for Iran's shipping lines.

In March, a senior Navy commander of the Iranian Army stressed the need for the Navy to boost its naval deployments outside the country's territorial waters as a strategic force.

"The Navy is in the middle of field and should be present all throughout the world seas," Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Gholam-Reza Khadem Biqam said at the time.

Also in March, Commander of Iran's Navy Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced that the Iranian Navy planned to expand its operational zone far beyond the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman in the next Iranian year (started on March 21).

In December, Sayyari said that the country was deploying submarines in the high seas to further boost its military power.

"To become the superior power in the region, we should turn into a regional power in military defense, and we should prove our might and capability not only inside, but also outside the region," he continued.

The Iranian Army Navy and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy have tight cooperation in controlling the country's waterways and protecting Iran's interests inside territorial waters and in the high seas.

Iran's naval power has even been acknowledged by foes. In a Sep. 11, 2008 report, the Washington Institute for the Near East Policy said that in the two decades since the Iraqi imposed war on Iran, the Islamic Republic has excelled in naval capabilities and is able to wage unique asymmetric warfare against larger naval forces.

According to the report, Iran's Navy has been transformed into a highly motivated, well-equipped, and well-financed force and is effectively in control of the world's oil lifeline, the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Navy Sends Submarines to Red Sea, in Response to Israeli Naval Provocations

Khaleej Times, (AP) 7 June 2011 TEHERAN, Iran —

 Iran has sent submarines to the Red Sea in the first such deployment by the country’s navy in distant waters, a semi-official news agency reported on Tuesday.

The deployment reflects Iran’s efforts to show off its naval power. Iran has long sought to upgrade its air defence systems and navy to portray itself as a regional military superpower, as well as prepare for any possible future attacks against the country, saying they would most likely be air and sea-based.

The Fars news agency, which is close to Iranian military officials, said the submarines would collect data in international waters and identify warships of other countries.

The report quoted an unnamed government official as saying the submarines accompanied Iranian warships on an anti-piracy route in the Gulf of Aden before they moved into the Red Sea earlier this month. Fars gave no details on the number or capabilities of the submarines.

Iran has long had three Russian-made submarines and last year, four new small Iranian-built submarines were delivered to its navy.

The four were said to be Ghadir class submarines, which can fire missiles and torpedoes and at the same time are capable of cruising in shallow waters, such as those of the Arabian Gulf off the Iranian coast.

Earlier this year, two Iranian warships shuttled in a naval visit to Syria. The move prompted an outcry by Israel, which considers Iran an existential threat because of its nuclear program.

Israel, the United States and others want to stop Iran from what they fear is a push by Teheran to develop nuclear weapons. So far the pressure on Iran has been mostly through international sanctions but both Israel and the US have not ruled out a military strike if sanctions fail.

Iran says its nuclear program aims only to produce electricity.

(It's a blunt hypocritical rhetoric to ignore the fact that the Zionist, racist state of Israel is the only nuclear power in the Middle East, and that it was first to send submarines close to Iranian waters, in addition to the presence of NATO naval fleets in the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean).