Iran is seeking to increase threats to the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman by adding cruise missiles to its ships, pro-regime media has claimed. According to reports on Tasnim News, Iran’s R.-Adm. Ali Reza Tangsiri said the domestic cruise missile ‘Qadr-474’ – with a range of 2,000 km. – had been added to ships. The original article also praised the IRGC for its involvement in seizing an oil tanker and putting UAVs and other missiles on its boats.
The Iranian navy is separate from the navy under the guise of the IRGC. The report adds that cruise missiles can now be used from the converted container ship Shahid Mahdavi, a large ship – 240 m. ship that weights 2,100 tons – that was added to Iran’s navy in March; all part of Iran’s naval program, which generally can’t afford new ships and thus must rely on converted or older ships. The addition of cruise missiles to what is essentially a commercial tanker shows Iran’s challenges, not its successes.
According to the report, Iran has claimed that the missiles it is adding to its navy have similar capabilities to cruise missiles in other countries. Because Iran is under sanctions, it must develop weapons locally. Therefore, its missiles often are not as advanced. However, Iran claims that its missiles have infrared seekers, radar guidance and other features that can help the missiles evade electronic warfare.
According to the reports, the new long-range cruise missiles are being installed on these two ships, the Mahdavi and Soleimani-class ships, which have various missiles with ranges from 200-2,000 km. The IRGC will receive missiles named after Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was the head of Kataib Hezbollah and was killed alongside former IRGC Quds Force head Qasem Soleimani in January 2020 in a US drone strike.
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