CNN is reporting from Cairo that the Iranian frigate IRINS Alvand and its replenishment ship IRINS Kharg are transiting the Suez Canal to enter the Mediterranean Sea. Israel has called the planned move “provocative.” The vessels are on a yearlong training mission.
4 comments:
Ominous development.
not everything would stay the same, we see that the direction of Egypt now, is different from the old regime of the late Mubarak.
Seriously, does anyone know whether the Egyptians had denied IRI passage during the Mubarak era, or is it a simple coincidence as Iran beefs up its naval forces in the past two years.
I guess what I am trying to find out is ... has Iran asked for passage of its warship in the past 32 years or is this the first time and the usual suspects are making a mountain out of a molehill?
Any reliable insight would be appreciated.
|2Cold|
Sending a single frigate to the Mediterranean does not make sense from the military point of view. The Iranian Navy, like any other navies, do not send ships to waters that can face hostility without force protection. The decision to send Alvand must have been taken by the political leadership to score a point that the developments in the region have been game changers favoring Iran.
As to the question if Iran had ever asked the permission for similar passage through the Suez during Mubarak era, I could not find any public reporting, but knowing the tense relations between the two governments, it is highly unlikely.
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