Iran Launches New Submarines Designed To Harass Shipping

Iran has been busy attempting to ramp up domestic production of various military technologies, and it made special notice of its desire to build its own submarine fleet.

Needless to say, the submarines it came up with fall well short of US standards.

State-run Press TV showed the submarines sailing from an Iranian port. Iran's fleet of the 120-tonne Ghadir-class vessels, first produced in 2007, now numbered 11, it said.

They have "excellent shallow depth performance, and can carry out long-term coastal missions," Press TV said.

"With the mass production of this submarine alongside various guided-missile launchers the country's defensive production chain is complete," Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi said.

"These capabilities will be used to served peace, stability and security in the Persian Gulf region and the Sea of Oman."


The launch of the new submarines comes as Iranian officials deliver daily messages of defiance to the potential threat of a strike by Israel or the United States against the nuclear program Tehran says is entirely peaceful.

Iran has said it could close the Strait of Hormuz -- the gateway to the Gulf through which 40 percent of the world's traded oil travels -- if it comes under attack.

They're purposefully meant for coastal operations and have limited deepwater capabilities. Ultimately, these submarines are meant to harass oil tankers - not stopping a USN Carrier Task Force. They're meant to operate as harassment of shipping in the Persian Gulf, and the Iranians think that these subs will be hard for the USN or other navies to detect and destroy because of their size, electric motors, etc., ignoring that the USN has been doing the cat and mouse with the Soviet Union's sub fleet for several generations.

Moreover, as a closer examination of the submarine photos will indicate, the quality of construction isn't anywhere near what the US has been able to produce for several generations of submarines. It's design harkens back to the WW II era, and the various welded segments appear to be poorly done. The ship is a fraction of the size of a modern US submarine, and is meant for littoral water operations rather than an open-ocean confrontation. Its limited size also means that it is limited in the kinds or numbers of weapons that can be stowed aboard.

Indeed, it looks like Ecuadorian narco-terrorists have more sophisticated designs than the Iranian regime.

While it is easy to laugh at Iran's feeble sub fleet, it remains a threat to the oil shipping that passes through the Strait of Hormuz - and that's its chief use. Iran doesn't care if their subs get picked off by the US Navy. If the Iranians can damage or sink a couple of oil tankers, they will send oil prices through the roof and cause further instability in the Persian Gulf. That's their ultimate intention.

Iran's War Games and Energy Prices

Iran doesn't do anything without an eye towards boosting its own power and prestige. In this case, it means doing just about anything to increase the price of oil, which has dropped by more than half of its all time peak over the summer.

Iran is holding war games in the Sea of Oman and Persian Gulf, and claims to have successfully tested surface to surface missiles from one of its ships.

Iran launched six days of naval war games on Tuesday in the Sea of Oman and the Gulf region amid tension with the United States and Israel, which have not ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to end a row over Tehran's nuclear work.

Iran has said that, if pushed, it could close the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Gulf and through which about 40 percent of the world's traded oil passes.

"The surface-to-surface Nasr-2 missile was tested in the (Sea of) Oman operational region," state radio reported, adding that the test took place on Saturday.

"The Nasr-2 was fired from a warship and hit its target at a distance of 30 km (19 miles) and destroyed it," the official news agency IRNA said, adding it was the first test of the new, medium-range missile.

The Iranians claimed success (and I always have my doubts about the Iranian threats as most have proven to be inflated and exaggerated, if not outright frauds), but the real intention was to suggest that the Iranians could close the Persian Gulf shipping channels, causing a crisis in oil supplies. Curiously, FARS, the Iranian news outfit, suggests that a Nasr-1 missile was fired. The Nasr missile is a derivative of a Chinese missile design.

Should Iran shut down shipping, the price of oil would increase significantly, and would threaten the world economy, and particularly affect European and Asian energy needs.

Iran Starts Production of New Submarines

Reports indicate that Iran is beginning construction of a new class of domestically produced middle-sized submarines. Iran claims that they would be able to fire torpedoes and missiles, but then again, most submarines have those capabilities. It would be several years before those home grown submarines reach the Iranian navy, but for now, the Iranians have three Russian Kilo-class submarines and a couple of mini-subs that are useful to plant mines or engage in suicide operations.

Yet, there is some strangeness with the report:

State television said the submarine, named "Ghaem," was the realization of the government's huge investments in the country's defense capabilities. Iran wants to achieve self-sufficiency in the defense area and equip its armed forces with modern weapons.

The report adds that the Iranian Navy earlier received two submarines named "Ghdair."

Production of Ghdair began in 2005.

Is Ghdair the class of submarine, or did they simply name multiple ships with the same name?

Iran previously attracted attention to its sub construction program by touting its submarine technologies, but which turned out to be little more than suicide subs.

So, far there is scant information about the capabilities of these new Iranian submarines or much else. Iran has been busy trying to expand its naval capabilities, since they could conceivably attempt to block the flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which is a major chokepoint entering the Persian Gulf and transit point through which much of the region's oil supplies travel.

Iran's Itchy Trigger Finger: Update - Photo Edited

Well, the Iranians have managed to fire off several missiles and conducted a military drill in a show of force following US naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz.

"Our hands are always on the trigger and our missiles are ready for launch," the official IRNA news agency quoted Salami as saying.

Wednesday's war games were being conducted at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway where about 40 percent of the world's oil passes through.

The television said the missiles fired included a new version of the Shahab-3 missile, which Iranian officials say has a range of 2,000 kilometers, as well as improved Zelzal and Fateh missiles.

2,000 kilometers would put Israel in the line of fire, along with US strategic and tactical assets in the region. Iran continues to push the envelope of its missile technology at a time when they're busy running a nuclear program that the IAEA and others estimate will provide sufficient enriched nuclear materials for a nuclear weapon in as little as six months time.

Iran has repeatedly warned that if its nuclear program was attacked, Tel Aviv and US shipping and interests in the region would be hit.

Danger Room has more, including the following video.



They too wonder at the timing of the Iranian drill, which came just hours after Ahmadinejad said that the risk of conflict was low and after that aforementioned US military drill.

UPDATE:
It appears that some of the images of the Iranian missile launches may not be what they appear. This clearly isn't the first time that they've pushed bogus images or photo edits, claimed to have fired off rockets or missiles that are really recycled launches - including using Chinese rocket launches and claiming them as their own, or exaggerated claims.

UPDATE:
EU Referendum has more about a different photo being used in conjunction with the reports of Iranian missile launches today. Apparently, the photo has been recycled from earlier reports about missile launches. Nice.

Iran Playing With Fire in the Gulf

This is yet another attempt by the Iranians to probe US resolve in the Persian Gulf. They sent a pair of their speed boats to encounter a US military sealift command ship, and when the boats failed to heed warnings or announce their intentions, the security team on board opened fire.

A vessel contracted by the Navy in the Persian Gulf fired warning shots Thursday on two Iranian fast boats, FOX News has learned.

The Iranian Navy countered U.S. defense officials claims Friday, saying on Iranian television station Alalam that they didn't have a confrontation with a U.S. ship and that the ship, the Westward Venture, may have fired on a non-Iranian vessel, Reuters reports.

The U.S. ship is contracted by the U.S. Military Sealift Command to carry military cargo to Kuwait. It fired upon the boats Thursday after attempts to get Iranian boats' attention failed, defense officials told FOX News.

A Navy security team, armed with M16 rifles and .50-caliber machine guns, was onboard the Westward Venture at the time the warning shots were fired.

The ship was about 50 miles off the coast of Iran when the fast boats approached. The Westward Venture attempted to make bridge-to-bridge contact to warn the fast boats that they were too close.

The Military Sealift Command vessel then blew its whistle and fired flares before finally firing warning shots with the machine gun when the boats came within 100 yards of the vessel.

The Arsenal of Democracy

That's the US Navy transiting the Strait of Hormuz in a show of force against Iran. That much firepower in one place could deliver quite the hurting to any nation.

It's one of the reasons that whenever there is a crisis somewhere in the world, US Presidents will first ask where the carriers are situated. Not only can they be counted on in war time, but they can be used to provide humanitarian aid, such as in the aftermath of the South Asian earthquake and tsunami.