Iran equips naval forces with cruise missiles, plans to send ships close to U.S. waters

Iran has equipped its naval forces with a short range ‘cruise missile,’ able to hit targets in coastal areas and warships within ‘200 kilometers (125 miles), the country's defense minister was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

‘Today we are witnessing the equipping of the Guards navy and army navy with ample numbers of the Qader cruise missile,’ General Ahmad Vahidi said, quoted by his ministry's website referring to the elite Revolutionary Guards who are tasked with defending Iranian waters in the Gulf.

‘It has 200 km range and has ability to be launched quickly against warships and costal targets. It flies in low altitude, has high destructive power, (and is) lightweight with high precision,’ he added.

He added that it could be fired from the coast or from vessels of different classes, increasing considerable the operational ability of the forces.

The Qader missile was unveiled last month by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, with Iranian officials dubbing it a ‘cruise missile’ built entirely by local experts. The president said Iran's military arsenal was defensive, aimed at ensuring the country's ‘enemies do not dare attack.’

Iran in the past two years has increased development, testing and unveiling of new ‘indigenous’ military equipment, including missiles.

The Iranian navy recently boosted its presence in international waters, sending vessels into the Indian Ocean to protect Iranian ships from Somali pirates.

It also sent two ships into the Mediterranean for the first time in February, via the Suez Canal, to the annoyance of Israel and the United States.

Iran's navy commander, Admiral Habibollah Sayari, said on Tuesday that Iran was planning to deploy ships close to U.S. territorial waters, without saying when.

“As the global oppression (the U.S.) is present not far from our maritime border ... our navy is going to have a strong presence not far from U.S. territorial waters,” the official IRNA news agency quoted Sayyari as saying.

On July 19 Sayyari also said that Iran was going to send “a flotilla into the Atlantic”.

The remarks come as another high-ranking Iranian appeared to reject a recent U.S. request to establish a “red phone” link between the countries to avoid unwanted confrontation between their armed forces in the Gulf region.

“When we are in the Gulf of Mexico, we will establish direct contact with the United States,” Ali Fadavi, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, was quoted in press reports as saying.

“In the view of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the presence of the U.S. in the Persian Gulf is illegitimate and makes no sense.”

The Iranian navy has been developing its presence in international waters since last year, regularly launching vessels in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden to protect Iranian ships from Somali pirates operating in the area.

Iran also sent two ships into the Mediterranean for the first time in February, via the Suez Canal, to the annoyance of Israel and the United States.

And in July, leaders announced that a Kilo class submarine had completed an inaugural mission in the southern Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.

Iranian naval forces are mainly composed of small units equipped with missiles in the Gulf and operating under the control of the Revolutionary Guards.