09/28/2011

By: Reza Kahlili

The Iranian Navy plans to start designing and building heavy vessels such as aircraft carriers, a senior Iranian Navy commander announced on Wednesday.

According to Fars News Agency, the mouthpiece of the revolutionary guards, Deputy Commander of the Iranian Navy for Research and Self-sufficiency Jihad, Capitan Mansour Maqsoudlou stated that “The Iranian Army’s Navy has done a good job in designing and building various types of vessels, and now after acquiring the know-how and experience the Navy is after designing and building chopper and aircraft carriers.”

Speaking to the Islamic republic news agency, Maqsoudlou said that the Navy has also accomplished designing of new vessels.

He pointed to the Iranian Navy’s major development plan, dubbed as Velayat (religious leadership), and said manufacturing vessels and submarines of different class and type is on the agenda of the Navy based on the plan.

The Captain further named Jamaran 2 Destroyer as the most noteworthy vessel under production at present, and said it is among the several vessels in the final stages of production.

Iran’s first home-made destroyer, Jamaran 1, was launched in late February 2010. The Mowdge Class vessel has a displacement of around 14,000 tons and is equipped with modern radars and electronic warfare capabilities and is armed with a variety of anti-ship, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles.

The remarks by Maqsoudlou came as Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced yesterday that the country plans to build up a naval presence “near the maritime borders of the United States”.

Note: Also Read: KAHLILI: Iranian missiles could soon reach U.S. shores