Iran Expands Naval Fleet with New Submarines

The Iranian Navy expanded its naval fleet after two new home-made submarines joined the force on the occasion of the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

Iran’s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced that two light Ghadir submarines have joined Iran’s naval fleet as part of efforts to upgrade the country’s defense capabilities.

He told the Islamic republic news agency that all parts of the Ghadir class submarines including hull, radar equipment and advanced defense systems have been manufactured inside the country.

They have improved the protection and defense capabilities of Iran’s Armed Forces under the sea, Sayyari stated.

Last month, a senior Iranian military commander underlined that the Iranian Navy’s subsurface vessels enjoy a high capability to confront enemies’ threats, and stated that Iran’s submarines are able to ambush and hit enemy vessels specially US Aircraft carriers from the seabed throughout the Persian Gulf.

Speaking to FNA at the time, Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Army’s Self-Sufficiency Jihad Rear Admiral Farhad Amiri said that Iran has the best electronic diesel submarines of the world, adding that enemies, the US in particular, are most focused on Iran’s astonishing subsurface capabilities.

Amiri underlined that significance of submarines are not just indebted to their arms and equipment, “rather the tactical issues are very important”, given the geographical specifications of the waters surrounding the county.

“For example,” he stated, “if an ordinary submarines can sit in the Persian Gulf’s bed it would be the worst threat to the enemy.”

“That is one of the US concerns since Iranian submarines are noiseless and can easily evade detection as they are equipped with the sonar-evading technology” and can fire missiles and torpedoes simultaneously, he added.

“When the submarine sits on the seabed it can easily target and hit an aircraft carrier traversing in the nearby regions,” Amiri reiterated.