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Iran Increases Its Naval Forces
(Defense News) Agnes Helou - In 2021, Iran's naval forces and Revolutionary Guard added the Alvand destroyer, four Martoob al-Sabehat 15 Type submarines, and 110 combat speedboats. Rear-Adm. Amir Rastegari, who heads the Iranian Defense Ministry's Marine Industries, said Iran has ambitious plans to build a 6,000-ton destroyer and giant submarines. Experts say the buildup of naval forces in Iran represents a rising threat to neighboring countries. Iran operates three Soviet-built diesel-electric submarines, two smaller diesel-electric coastal submarines commissioned in 2019, as well as 23 mini-submarines based on North Korean technology. Iran has two naval forces. The Iranian Navy consists of submarines, as well as frigates and corvettes obtained in the 1970s from the U.S., UK and France, while the IRGC Navy focuses on hit-and-run tactics and asymmetric operations using speedboats, missile boats, vessels equipped with torpedoes and remote-controlled ships. "The Revolutionary Guard's Navy is entrusted with combat missions in the Arabian Gulf region in particular, while the regular Navy operates mainly in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman and is trying to expand to the Red Sea," said Mohamed al-Kenany, who leads the military studies unit at the Cairo-based Arab Forum for Analyzing Iranian Policies.