Rear Admiral Shahram Irani conducted an interview with Tasnim on the occasion of National Navy Day.
Highlighting the Navy’s progress in manufacturing a broad range of equipment, the commander said a new homegrown vessel, called “Kurdistan”, will be unveiled in the near future.
He noted that the new warship will be furnished with “Sayyad” air defense missile system which can vertically fire long-range missiles.
The commander also said another new vessel, named “Zagros”, will come into operation, adding that the Sabalan destroyer’s missile capabilities have been quadrupled.
The Navy has also developed coast-to-sea missiles with ranges in excess of 1,000 kilometers using innovative technologies, he stated.
Praising the Iranian Navy’s progress in the submarine industry, Rear Admiral Irani said manufacturing heavy and super-heavy submarines has been on the agenda.
He said the Navy is developing a heavy submarine, dubbed “Be’sat”, which will be furnished with up-to-date arms and become operational after the necessary tests.
Asked about the Navy’s drone power, the commander said his forces will receive two types of “strategic drones” manufactured by domestic experts.
While the Iranian Navy has focused its attention on the UAVs for patrol and reconnaissance, considering the nature of its operations, such as ensuring maritime security, supporting ships, and combatting the sources of threat in combat, it will also begin to develop logistical naval drones that can carry heavy payloads, assist the vessels in an emergency, ship medical equipment and even persons, and transfer medication and blood shipments at a long distance away, the commander added.
In a meeting with Navy commanders in November 2023, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei lauded the Iranian Navy’s “eye-catching and incredible advances” after the victory of the Islamic Revolution.
“In the early years of the Revolution, the presence of the Navy beyond the territorial waters was unimaginable, but now the Navy circumnavigates the globe mightily and formidably and returns home proudly,” the Leader said.
In that meeting, Rear Admiral Irani said the Navy’s two principal policies are “expansion of sphere of influence in the sea” and “reliance on technology and science” with the purpose of strengthening the Establishment’s power.