Iran beefs up naval forces

In a troubling sign of a growing regional hegemony, Iranian has dispatched six warships to the Gulf of Aden and "international waters.”

According to Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, Commander of the Iranian Navy, “Iran has dispatched six warships to international waters and the Gulf of Aden region in an historically unprecedented move by the Iranian Navy. This is indicative of the country's high military capability in confronting any foreign threat on the country's shores." This voyage – allegedly sent on the orders of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei – marks the first time in modern history that the Islamic republic has projected its military might beyond its regional sphere of interest.

Ostensibly, the ships will join international anti-piracy operations, which, fuelled by large ransoms, have continued almost unabated despite the presence of an armada of foreign warships patrolling the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden. In January, pirates released an Iranian-chartered cargo ship carrying 36,000 tons of wheat to Iran from Germany that was seized in November.

In March, a regional maritime official said Somali villagers had detained another Iranian vessel. According to Digital Journal, however, “Despite protestations of commerce as a reason for these ships, Iran has threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, which is the passage way for 40 percent of the world's oil. It made this threat to reflect how it would respond to any attack over its nuclear program.”

But, the tone of the admiral's declaration went far beyond anti-piracy measures and echoed comments made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who stated that, "The nuclear issue is a finished issue for us... Our talks [with other states] will only be in the framework of cooperation for managing global issues and nothing else."

Iran has invested heavily in the buildup of it fleet in recent years. Sayyari argued in February that, "We have a right to have a naval presence in international waters," and just over a week ago at Iran's Kharg Island naval base, he stated that the navy had "devised a specific method for confronting each and every type of threat."

Analysts see this as a signal to the US and Israel that it can resist any invasion or naval-based action against its nuclear facilities and further nuclear development. Sayyari said that preserving Iran's territorial integrity in its southern waters called for the "perseverance and firmness" of the navy.

At the same time as the announcement of the new naval mission, the Iranian Ministry of Defense announced the production of a 40 mm naval artillery platform. The anti-aircraft artillery, called Fatah, was inaugurated by Defense Minister Mustafa Najar on May 24. "The anti-aircraft low-altitude weapon is entirely indigenous and will be employed on warships," Najar said.

The timing of these two announcements is not coincidental, as on May 20, Ahmadinejad announced that Iran had tested a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) that could hit Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf, a move likely to only exacerbate concerns about Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Iran seems to have mastered at least two of the three steps needed to effectively launch a nuclear weapon: developing a medium-range rocket capable of striking Israel and Arab nations allied with the West, and acquiring highly enriched, weapons grade uranium.

With Iran's presidential elections next month, the timing of the admiral's move, coupled with the missile test last week, suggest an effort by Ahmadinejad to position himself as more steadfast on defense than his electoral opponents.

The United States and its allies suspect the Islamic Republic is seeking to build nuclear bombs, a charge Tehran denies, but President Barack Obama has offered a new beginning of diplomatic engagement with Iran if it "unclenches its fist." However, there is little consensus among Western intelligence agencies regarding Iran's progress on the development of a warhead capable of being attached to a missile. 

Joseph Grieboski writes for The Cutting Edge News and is President of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy and Secretary General, Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom.