The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps operates over 1,000 small boats that can harass shipping in the Persian Gulf. |
Iran’s latest speedboats are now equipped with stealth systems to avoid radars, Commodore Alireza Tangsiri said during the Malek Ashtar Festival held near Bandar Abbas, according to Fars News. This was made possible using domestic technical know-how and products by Iranian scientists.
The IRGC Navy Force has been equipped with warfare facilities to confront external threats, ranging from amphibious tanks to drones, he said.
The new vessel, which appears to be under construction, was detailed in an article at at USNI News by naval expert H.I. Sutton, who also writes at the website Covert Shores.
“A new vessel has been observed under construction in Iran,” according to satellite imagery, the article says. “The unidentified catamaran is characterized by a clean-angled form, appearing stealthier than earlier types, and could be a missile boat.”
The IRGC Navy is looking to establish consecutive cooperation and interaction with other parts of the Armed Forces of Iran, military organizations and the ministry of defense, according to Fars.
Addressing an IRGC conference in Tehran on Sunday, Maj.-Gen. Hossein Salami noted that “weapons play an effective role in wars,” and that the Guard Corps is pursuing plans to manufacture and obtain the most advanced arms.
“Americans do not abide by maritime and navigation laws and regulations, and their presence has created instability and insecurity in the Persian Gulf region,” Tangsiri said.
“We have always told countries of the region that Iran itself is able to bring about security in the region, so that more security has been established after the exit of American and foreign forces from the region,” he said.
Has this happened before?
This isn’t the first vessel of this type Iran has rolled out. Sutton detailed another 65-meter (213-foot) catamaran-type vessel launched last July, which was also a large, stealthy design. The current vessel is being built at a shipyard on the island of Qeshm. There are other vessels visible in the images.
The new Iranian stealth ship-building was noticed by United Arab Emirates media, which highlighted the story. This shows that the new ship is of importance to Gulf States that are concerned about Iran destabilizing the region.
Seth Frantzman is a Ginsburg-Milstein Writing Fellow at the Middle East Forum and senior Middle East correspondent at The Jerusalem Post.
