Free Republic

Iran's embassy in Beirut issued a statement late Saturday denying Iran had any troops in Lebanon, disputing an Israeli claim that 100 Iranian soldiers helped Hezbollah attack an Israeli warship, Iran's official news agency reported. The statement, reported on the agency's Web site, called the Israeli report "meaningless." It is "an attempt to escape reality with the aim of covering up [Israel's] inability to confront the Lebanese nation and resistance," the statement said. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad condemned Israel's military offensive in Lebanon, telling state television "the Zionist regime behaves like Hitler." "The fake Israeli regime has been imposed in the...

The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards ground forces and at least 10 other officers have died in a plane crash. The small Falcon jet came down near Oroumieh, 900 km (560 miles) north-west of the capital, Tehran. State TV said it was attempting an emergency landing. Officials blamed bad weather and engine failure for the crash. Last month, a military transport plane crashed in Tehran, killing 128 people. It came down in a residential district, hitting a 10-storey apartment building. The latest crash happened at around 0930 (0600GMT) near the Turkish border. Revolutionary Guards' spokesman, Gen Masoud Jazayeri, said the...

ehran, Iran, Jan. 09 – A dozen senior commanders of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) died in a plane crash in northwest Iran on Monday, a government spokesman announced. A Falcon jet belonging to the IRGC crashed 13 kilometres southeast of Lake Orumieh, killing all 15 passengers on board. They included seven members of the General Command of the IRGC Ground Forces. The commanders who died in the crash included Brigadier General Ahmad Kazemi, commander of the IRGC Ground Forces and a rising star in Iran’s radical Islamist military, Brigadier General Saeed Mohtadi, commander of the IRGC’s 27...

Kidnapped Iran soldiers 'on video' Wednesday, January 4, 2006 (CNN) -- Arabic-language network Al Arabiya has aired video of what it said were Iranian soldiers recently kidnapped near the Iran-Pakistan border. It also read a statement on Wednesday it said was from a Sunni militant group threatening to kill the soldiers if their demands are not met. The authenticity of the video and the statement cannot be independently verified by CNN. Al Arabiya said the statement from the Organization of God's Soldiers for Sunni Mujahedeen demanded the release of 16 imprisoned fellow militants in exchange for the soldiers. Iran's government...

Iranian Mini-Submarines December 12, 2005: Iran, apparently with technical help from North Korea, is now building mini-submarines for operations along its coasts, and throughout the Persian Gulf. Two have been built so far. The sub has a two man crew, and can carry three divers, or several naval mines, or a torpedo. The Iranians say they will use the mini-subs to lay mines or launch underwater commando attacks. While the North Koreans provided some technical assistance, the Iranian sub is a local design, smaller than most North Korean mini-subs, which is a reflection of the more turbulent seas found off...

Tehran, Dec 9 - The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran launched bigget ever maritime war-game in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman regions, commander of Iranian Navy, Rear Admiral Sajjad Kuchaki told IRIB Thursday. The maneuver codenamed "Ashegane Velayat" covers more than 55,000 square kilometers ranging from the strategic Hormoz strait to the port city of Gouater in the southernmost part of the country, he added. All branches of the military and the Revolutionary Guards including air, land and navy forces as well as Basij voluntary members are participating in the war-game.

Tehran, Dec 9 - The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran launched bigget ever maritime war-game in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman regions, commander of Iranian Navy, Rear Admiral Sajjad Kuchaki told IRIB Thursday. The maneuver codenamed "Ashegane Velayat" covers more than 55,000 square kilometers ranging from the strategic Hormoz strait to the port city of Gouater in the southernmost part of the country, he added. All branches of the military and the Revolutionary Guards including air, land and navy forces as well as Basij voluntary members are participating in the war-game. The maneuver, he...