Iran Launches Massive Warship Fleet (Worthy News Focus)

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

TEHRAN/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Despite Western sanctions, Iran is building a massive fleet of warships capable of reaching adversaries, real or perceived, far beyond the Persian Gulf, several sources confirmed Thursday.

Worthy News learned that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) commissioned hundreds of new vessels, including new warships capable of operating on the high seas.

Experts said that most other vessels are newer variants of the missile, rocket, and heavy machine-gun-clad speedboats that have long formed the backbone of the IRGCN’s fleet.

Founded in 1985, the IRGCN is the naval branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a paramilitary organization that operates as the ideological steward of Iran’s Islamic revolution.

While operating separately from the national military, the IRGCN answers directly to Tehran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Thursday’s confirmation about its vessels came two months after reports that an Iranian warship equipped with drones and missiles crossed the equator into the Southern Hemisphere.

Iran’s IRIB state radio did not reveal the exact location of the Shahid Mahdavi, a converted IRGC container ship unveiled more than a year ago, Worthy News established.

LONG RANGE

According to sources who know about the case, it was the first time the IRGC sent a warship on a long-range mission.

The May 4 event added to worries in Israel and among its Western allies as Iranian forces in February reportedly test-fired “medium-range missiles” reaching a distance of around 1,700 kilometers (1,062 miles).

Separately, IRGC operatives are entering European ports, “concealing their identity” as seafarers while on board Iranian ships and oil tankers, sources familiar with the situation said.

London and Washington-based broadcaster Iran International, run by exiles critical of Tehran, said: “These individuals are not declaring their identity.” Sources said these armed IRGC forces may use this method as a means to spy and collect information in Europe – all while reportedly bypassing sanctions

Worthy News learned that the gunmen are among regular staff on ships in European ports such as Constanta, Romania, Valencia, Spain, Ravenna, Italy, Antwerp, and the Netherlands.

The EU has imposed sanctions against the Islamic Republic – including individuals with the IRGC, government officials, and entities.

The United States and others also launched punitive actions against Tehran over its perceived poor record on human rights, nuclear activities, and military support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

To date, 227 individuals and 42 entities have reportedly been sanctioned.

(With additional reporting by the Worthy News Europe Bureau in Budapest).

Latest Worthy News