Iran’s Navy Already a Threat to Oil Tankers, Moscow Analyst Concludes

The Georgian Daily ^ | 5/10/2010 | Paul Goble

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Despite its efforts over the last several years, Iran is not yet the naval power it hopes to become, according to a Moscow analyst, but Tehran already has sufficient capacity to disrupt shipments of oil in the Persian Gulf, an ability that already “represents a serious danger and requires an adequate response from the international community.”

In an assessment of “The Naval Power of Iran: From Intention to Reality” prepared for the Moscow Near Eastern Institute, V.V. Yevseyev argues that most of what Iran has done in this sector to date represents “a cover” for plans to engage in “diversionary activity” in the Persian Gulf against shipping (www.iimes.ru/rus/stat/2010/06-05-10.htm).

But both because that alone represents a serious problem and because Iran continues to purchase naval equipment abroad and develop its own domestic ship-building capacity, Yevseyev continues, the Iranian naval effort deserves far more attention from foreign governments than it has normally received.

Last February, the Moscow analyst says, “took place an important event in the development of the naval forces” of Iran: the launch of the first, 1420-ton minesweeper that Iran had produced on its own, one armed with “Noor” cruise missiles, “the Iranian version of the Chinese S-802.

[FlingWingFlyer]

I hope Moscow passes this information on to Barry.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Actually, this is from a think tank(Moscow Near Eastern Institute)

[Goldsborough]

Google “Earnest Will” & “Praying Mantis.” The old Iranian Navy is glass bottomed.

[JRandomFreeper]

To think of getting credible and useful information out of Moscow when our own media is useless. How far we have fallen.

/johnny

[GeronL]

Does anyone think Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia might all explode at the same time?

[steve86]

Yes, and U.S. border (cartels), too.

[Buckeye Battle Cry]

It would be an extraordinarily bad idea for Iran to attempt to sink a Russian tanker. The Russkies don’t pussy-foot around they way Obama does. They’ll crush the Iranian Navy with overwhelming force without blinking an eye.

[Fractal Trader]

Don’t forget Operation Ernest Will
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Earnest_Will

I seem to recall that this operation required quite a large contingent of US ships to implement. By all accounts, this was a successful operation, minus an accidental downing of an Iranian Airbus.