Iran launches submarine production line
Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 4:08 am Under World News Alerts 11 views
Iran launches a submarine production line which the defence Minister says will ensure its forces are equipped to maintain security in the vital oil route, the Strait of Hormuz waterway.
Iran launched a submarine production line to ensure its forces are equipped to maintain the security of the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway, a vital oil shipping route, Iranian Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said on Monday (August 25). Iran, embroiled in a stand-off with the West over its nuclear ambitions, has previously said it could respond, if attacked, by closing the strait at the southern end of the Gulf and through which about 40 percent of the worlds traded oil passes.
The United States, whose navy Fifth Fleet is based in the Gulf state of Bahrain, has vowed to keep shipping lanes opened. The West accuses Tehran of seeking to build nuclear warheads but Iran, the world’s fourth largest oil producer, insists it aims is to master technology to make electricity. Washington has not ruled out strikes if diplomacy fails to end the row.
Najjar attended at the inauguration of a submarine production line, which Iran’s ISNA news agency said was a “semi-heavy” class of submarine called Qaim. The submarine, ISNA said, could “carry and fire various kinds of torpedoes and subsurface missiles, as well as transport special operations personnel.”
Military experts say Iran rarely reveals enough detail about its new military equipment to determined its efficacy but say the Islamic Republic, despite having much less fire-power than U.S. forces, could still cause havoc in Gulf if it was pushed.
The experts say Iran’s navy has three Russian Kilo class submarines and other smaller submersibles, including the Qadir which was added to Iran’s fleet.
(Agencies)
( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)
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