Iran launches indigenous Damavand destroyer

Iran has launched a new indigenous destroyer called Damavand in line with the Islamic Republic’s efforts to boast its naval supremacy.

Head of the Iranian Navy’s Industrial Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization Admiral Ali Gholamzadeh said on Friday that Damavand destroyer is a Mowj-class vessel.

The admiral said tests would begin on Damavand immediately after the destroyer’s launch.

Gholamzadeh stated that over the next few months the destroyer would be prepared to be assigned to international missions in free waters.

In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.

Iran’s Navy launched the indigenous Sahand destroyer in the southern port of Bandar Abbas on September 8, 2012, alongside the overhauled super-heavy Tareq 901 submarine.

The Iranian Navy launched its first indigenously-built destroyer, Jamaran, in the waters of the Persian Gulf in February 2010.

Tehran has repeatedly assured other countries that its military might poses no threat to other states, insisting that the Islamic Republic’s defense doctrine is entirely based on deterrence.