Iran’s IRGC says advanced warship joins naval fleet amid US tensions
The addition appears to be Iran's latest strategic yet cautious positioning in the face of strain with the United States and Israel.
The naval forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps added a new heavily armed warship to its fleet on Thursday in another show of military might amid growing tensions with the United States and Israel.
What happened: The warship is named Martyr Rais Ali Delvari after an Iranian military leader and national figure who was killed fighting against British occupying forces in Iran in 1915. The ship, which the IRGC-affiliated news agency Tasnim said was made in Iran, joined the IRGC fleet during a ceremony in Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking during the ceremony, IRGC Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri said the warship can carry three missile-launching vessels and a helicopter and could be furnished with missiles with a range of roughly 466 miles (750 kilometers).
Tangsiri said the ship is currently armed with missiles with a range of around 186 miles (300 kilometers), developed by Iran’s Defense Ministry. According to the commander, the warship is one of the most heavily armed ships in the IRGC’s fleet.
