Iran unveils ships equipped with missiles with a range of 600 kilometers
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard conducts new maneuvers on Abu Moussa Island in the UAE amid escalating tensions with the United States, which has deployed destroyers and fighter jets to the region to counter Tehran’s threats to ships and oil tankers.
The Iranian naval forces, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, today unveiled new ships equipped with missiles with a range of up to 600 kilometers, according to Iranian media, at a time when tensions in the Gulf with the United States are escalating.
The announcement came during a military exercise off the coast of Abu Musa Island, one of three islands in the Gulf that belong to the United Arab Emirates but are under Iranian control.
The official Iranian news agency, “IRNA,” reported that the Iranian Navy revealed the “Gadir” and “Fateh 360” ballistic missiles equipped with artificial intelligence during the maneuvers.
The semi-official news agency, “Tasnim,” confirmed the news without providing further details about the missiles but quoted Ali Reza Tangsiri, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s naval forces, referring to the need to defend the islands.
Tangsiri stated, “The islands in the Persian Gulf are part of Iran’s dignity, and we will defend them,” adding that the countries in the region should be responsible for the security of the Gulf.
He further added, “The Persian Gulf belongs to all the countries in the region… Those countries should exercise wisdom and prevent themselves from falling into disputes plotted by countries outside the region.”
According to “IRNA,” the commander of the Revolutionary Guard, Hussein Salami, and the commander of its navy, Ali Reza Tangsiri, along with other Iranian officials, participated in the launch of the maneuvers.
According to the statement by the Revolutionary Guard, its naval forces will conduct various combat exercises with ships, drones, air, and sea missiles, with support from the Guard’s air force.
In a speech during the maneuvers, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s commander stated, “We are always trying to ensure the country’s security and stability, and this is our policy.” He added that his country “will teach the enemy a lesson that will lead to regret for all the threats, conspiracies, complex and ambiguous scenarios, and hostilities.”
These Iranian maneuvers come in the context of increased Gulf focus by the Emirates during the past year on the issue of the three islands: Abu Moussa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb. Gulf and Chinese statements, along with other Gulf and Russian statements, adopted the Emirati position on resolving the dispute over these islands.
Last month, Iran summoned the Russian ambassador following a Gulf-Russian statement issued at the end of a meeting between the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Russia, which addressed the issue of the three islands based on the Emirati Gulf position.
In April, Reuters reported, citing three sources, that the United States seized Iranian oil loaded on a tanker at sea in implementation of the sanctions imposed on Tehran. The tanker is currently anchored outside the Port of Houston in the United States.
In this context, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Navy, Ali Reza Tangsiri, had previously warned against unloading the cargo, stating that Tehran “will respond to any oil company that unloads Iranian oil from a detained tanker,” holding Washington responsible for allowing the unloading of the tanker’s cargo.
