IRGC Navy: New warship gives Iran presence in international waters
IRGC Navy Commodore Alireza Tangsiri stated on Saturday that the newly unveiled and domestically manufactured Martyr Soleimani warship allows the IRGC naval forces to be present in international seas.
In an interview, Commodore Alireza Tangsiri stated that since the Martyr Soleimani warship joined the IRGC Navy, the naval forces have acquired the ability to be present in international waters.
The IRGC Navy commander stated that the IRGC Navy has received domestically made defense accomplishments on nine occasions over the past several years.
He said that the vessel was developed, over a period of three years, by Iranian experts while the country was faced with harsh sanctions and that the vessel's homegrown design and construction indicated that the sanctions can be neutralized as the Leader of the Islamic Revolution has always insisted.
Tangsiri continued by stating that for over three years, young Iranian professionals at knowledge-based enterprises worked on developing and producing the Martyr Soleimani naval vessel.
The commander of the IRGC Navy went on to say that the presence of IRGC naval forces in the Gulf has contributed to long-term stability and the preservation of maritime security in the region, assuring the region's countries that the naval forces under his command, with their facilities and capabilities, can ensure the region's security in collaboration with them.
🔴 Ùˆ Øالا؛ شناور شهید سلیمانی پس از ماهها انتظار! pic.twitter.com/gZIVc7AZ96
— Mohammad Shaltouki | Ù…Øمد شلتوکی (@mohshaltouki) September 5, 2022
Furthermore, the IRGC Navy commander affirmed that "No foreign country should be present in this region under the guise of establishing security, because the presence of foreigners has resulted in the violations of the maritime rights and marine life wherever they have been, and they have done nothing but creating division and sedition, plundering nations' properties."
He then elaborated on the specs of the Soleimany warship stating that "This vessel is 67 by 18 meters on which the helicopter can board on its deck and it is a helicopter carrier. It can carry multiple rocket launchers and torpedoes in different operational classes."
The Martyr Soleimany warship unveiled
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy added three new military vessels to its fleet on September 5, among them a patrol combat warship fitted with air defense missiles with a vertical launching system.
A ceremony was held in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas to officially hand over the new vessels to the IRGC Navy.
Two missile-launching speedboats with the names of IRGC Navy martyrs Rouhi and Dara are among the homegrown ships, along with an advanced patrol combat warship bearing the name of Lt. General Qassem Soleimani.
The multi-hulled Martyr Soleimani warship is equipped to transport helicopters. It can also discharge VTOL drones and many types of strike speedboats into the water.
The patrol combat warship is the first Iranian military vessel to be fully equipped with air defense missiles with a vertical launching system that can fire mid- and short-range missiles, according to remarks made at the event by Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces.