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Source: http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140324/DEFREG04/303240014
The Threat from Iranian Mini-Subs in the Persian Gulf
(Defense News) Awad Mustafa - "The Iranian Revolutionary Guards [Corps] threaten every state in the region," said Matthew Hedges, a military analyst with the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis in Dubai. "The IRGC possess mini-subs and are a constant menace to not only the UAE Navy, but to all naval trade passing through the Strait of Hormuz as they are particularly hard to trace." "Anti-submarine operations are causing a real challenge to our units in the Arabian Gulf waters due to the small subs that are being used in shallow waters, which creates a challenge for sonar systems to detect them," UAE Navy Chief Rear Adm. Ibrahim Musharrakh told the Gulf Naval Commanders Conference on Nov. 6. The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) reports that Iran has deployed from 10 to 19 small Ghadir-class submarines for use in shallow coastal waters since 2007. The operational capabilities of the subs include firing torpedoes, laying mines, and insertion of special forces into enemy territory.