Iranian Submarines Can Hunt Down US Aircraft Carriers Any Moment
News number: 9010171935 14:09 | 2012-01-21
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9010171935

TEHRAN (FNA)- Senior Iranian military officials said the country's
subsurface vessels can ambush and destroy enemy vessels specially US
aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf.

Speaking to FNA on Wednesday, Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Army's
Self-Sufficiency Jihad Rear Admiral Farhad Amiri said that Iran has the best
electronic diesel submarines of the world, adding that enemies, the US in
particular, are most focused on Iran's astonishing subsurface capabilities.

Amiri underlined that significance of submarines are not just indebted to
their arms and equipment, "rather the tactical issues are very important",
given the geographical specifications of the waters surrounding the county.

"For example," he stated, "if an ordinary submarines can sit in the Persian
Gulf's bed it would be the worst threat to the enemy."

"That is one of the US concerns since Iranian submarines are noiseless and
can easily evade detection as they are equipped with the sonar-evading
technology" and can fire missiles and torpedoes simultaneously, he added.

"When the submarine sits on the seabed it can easily target and hit an
aircraft carrier traversing in the nearby regions," Amiri reiterated.

Earlier this month, Iranian Army Commander Major General Ataollah Salehi
called on the US to avoid sending back its military ships and aircraft
carriers to the Persian Gulf after Iran's naval drills forced Washington to
bring one of its carriers out of the strategic region.

Speaking on the sidelines of the naval parades in the Sea of Oman at the end
of Velayat 90 massive naval drills, Salehi said that the US brought the
aircraft carrier out of the Persian Gulf and the vessel passed through the
Strait of Hormoz and stationed in the Sea of Oman before the start of Iran's
naval drills.

As regards Iran's reaction to the vessel's redeployment, Salehi stated, "We
advise, warn and recommend them (US Navy) not to return this carrier to its
previous location in the Persian Gulf."

"We are not in the habit of repeating the warning and we warn only once,"
Salehi reiterated, without mentioning the name of the US aircraft carrier.

The aircraft carrier Salehi was referring to was the USS John C. Stennis,
one of the US navy's biggest vessels.

Later, US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Martin Dempsey acknowledged
that Iran is able to close the Strait of Hormoz.

"They've invested in capabilities that could, in fact, for a period of time
block the Strait of Hormoz," Dempsey said in an interview aired on the CBS
"Face the Nation" program.

Late in November, the Iranian Navy expanded the fleet of its submarines
after it received three more Ghadir-class submarines.

Speaking to reporters in a press conference at the time, Iranian Army's Navy
Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said that all parts of the
submarines have been designed and manufactured by Iranian experts.

Iranian commanders had earlier said that Ghadir-class submarines boosted the
Navy's capability in defending the country's territorial waters.

The submarine has been designed and manufactured according to the
geographical and climate conditions and specifications of Iranian waters,
according to military experts.

The Iranian military officials said that the submarine can easily evade
detection as it is equipped with sonar-evading technology and can fire
missiles and torpedoes simultaneously.