Iran Calls Off Plan to Send Warships to the Atlantic

Iranian Navy announced today that it has called off plan to deploy warships near U.S. territorial waters in the Atlantic Ocean.

IRIN Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said in Tehran such changes in naval plans are routine, “considering the situation in the region.” (Fars News Agency, 13 April)

Adm. Sayyari, however, did not provide specific reasons for the change, but hinted that the “rise in piracy in the Gulf of Aden” might have prompted the decision to cancel deployment to the Atlantic.

In January, Iranian navy announced that its deployed naval group, consisting of a frigate and a replenishment ship, were making a voyage to the Atlantic, with a port visit to South Africa, to demonstrate the country's ability to project power beyond the Middle East.

File photo: IRINS Sabalan (73) Alvand-class frigate (above), and IRINS Kharg (431) Kharg-class replenishment ship (below) were part of Iran’s 29th Deployed Naval Group that were to reach the Atlantic. (FNA)

Iran Navy: Warships ‘Close’ to U.S. Borders to Send A Message

A senior Iranian naval commander said today that the IRIN’s warships had begun their journey to the Atlantic Ocean via waters near South Africa, and close to U.S. maritime borders.

“Iran’s naval fleet is approaching the United States’ maritime borders, and this move has a message,” said Rear Admiral Afshin Rezayee Haddad, the commander of IRIN’s Northern Fleet. (Fars News Agency/AP, 8 February)

Haddad did not elaborate what kind of message the Iranian navy intended to send to the United States, or the timing of the message. Iran and the U.S. are engaged in talks to strike a comprehensive deal over the country’s nuclear program.

File photo: IRINS Kharq (431) replenishment ship, one of the two ships sent to Atlantic Ocean. (Fars News Agency)

Chinese Supertanker at Iran’s Kharg Terminal

A Chinese supertanker with the capacity to carry two million barrels of crude has docked at an Iranian port, the Iranian media confirmed today. Bloomberg on Wednesday a report by HIS Fairplay, a British maritime research group, that the Chinese supertanker was seen at Kharg Island, Iran’s largest export terminal, on 21 March.

The visit is the first by a Chinese supertanker to Kharg since July when the EU imposed a ban on insuring tankers carrying Iranian crude.  Since then, the Chinese have depended on National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) for the delivery of Iran’s crude oil to its refineries. (Press TV, 7 April)

File photo: Chinese supertanker Yuan Yang Hu (Press TV)

Iran Navy Task Force Docks in Sri Lankan Port

Iranian Navy’s 24^th Task Force, comprising IRIS Sabalan (73), a frigate, and IRIS Kharg (431), a replenishment ship, docked at the port of Colombo in Sri Lanka on Thursday after a visit to China’s Zhangjiagang port on 4 March.

Captain Omid Golestaneh, the task force commander, said in Colombo that the Iranian navy conveys “the message of peace and friendship” to regional countries. (Fars News Agency, 22 March)

File photo: IRIS Sabalan (73) frigate (FNA)

Iran Navy Ships Leave China

Will Soon Dock at Colombo

Iran Navy ships IRINS Sabalan (73) frigate and IRINS Kharg (431) replenishment ship of the 24th Fleet task force today left the Chinese port city of Zhangjiagang, heading for the Strait of Malacca and will soon dock at the Port of Colombo in Sri Lanka, the Iranian navy announced today.

“This fleet is still present in the Pacific Ocean but will head for the Strait of Malacca and soon will dock at the Port of Colombo,” said Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari. (IRNA, 7 March)

Adm. Sayyari added that Iran will soon send its ships to the Atlantic Ocean as well.

“Iran’s presence in the Pacific Ocean is a prelude to [Iran’s] presence in the Atlantic Ocean”, said Sayyari.

Photo credit: Captured images from YouTube show IRINS Kharg at port of call Zhangjiagang, China (left) and Iranian naval officers saluting Chinese counterparts boarding the Iranian ship. 

Iran Navy ships dock at Zhangjiagang, China - Video (Persian)

IRINS Sabalan (73) frigate and IRINS Kharg (431) replenishment ship of the 24th Fleet task force have docked at the port city of Zhangjiagang in the People's Republic of China.

 

Left: IRINS Kharg port of call Zhangjiagang, China

Right: Contingent of People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) officers board IRIN vessel,
saluting officers and sailors of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

VIDEO:

Iranian Ships at the Red Sea

The two Iranian warships Alvand and Kharg left the Mediterranean and passed through the Suez back into the Red Sea on Saturday.

"The flotilla has completed its mission successfully in the Mediterranean Sea and has returned to the Red Sea transiting through the Suez Canal," said Navy Commander Rear Admiral Sayari [IRNA, 5 March].

Photo: IRIS Alvand Docked at Syrian Port of Latakia on 24 February. IRNA

Iran Navy ships returning through Suez Canal

From PressTV:

Two Iranian Navy ships that made their first ever journey through the Suez Canal following Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution are currently sailing through the canal before heading toward the Red Sea.

The vessels will pass through the Red Sea later on Thursday and enter the Gulf of Aden, the Public Relations of Iran's Army said on March 3.

The Iranian warships are due to arrive in zone one of the country's Naval Forces later.

On Wednesday, a canal official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters, “Tomorrow (Thursday), the Iranian ships will cross the canal with the convoy starting in the north from the Mediterranean.”

The official added that the two Iranian naval ships will go through the canal on Thursday morning.

On February 22, Iranian vessels, Khark and Alvand, crossed the Suez Canal, a strategic international shipping route in Egypt en route to Syria after Cairo had "agreed to allow the two Iranian warships to transit the Suez Canal."

The 1,500-ton patrol frigate Alvand is armed with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, while the larger 33,000-ton supply vessel Khark has 250 crewmembers and can carry three helicopters.

It was a potentially risky move but the Iranians appear to have pulled it off. It sets a precedent for Iran Navy activity, as well. Expect the Iran Navy to assume more confidence on the high seas, in partnering with its allies, and-- within the scope of its relatively limited resources-- combatting piracy. The sailors of Alvand and Kharg deserve campaign ribbons for this groundbreaking tour.

Iran Ships at Latakia

The Iranian frigate Alvand and its supply ship Kharg docked at Latakia, Syria

Top photo: Iran Navy frigate Alvand (FFG-71) docked at Latakia port in Syria.

Bottom photo: Alvand's supply ship Kharg (AORH-43)

Photos by IRNA

Iran Warships at Syrian Port of Latakia

The Iranian Navy frigate Alvand (FFG-71) and its supply ship Kharg (AORH-431) docked at the Syrian port of Latakia on Wednesday night. The warships crossed the Suez Canal and entered the Mediterranean Sea on Tuesday for the first time since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Iran Navy Ships in the Mediterranean Sea

IRINS Alvand Crossing the Suez Near Ismailia, Egypt

After a long expectation and amid speculations, the Iran Navy frigate Alvand (FFG-71) and its supply ship Kharg (AORH-431) today entered the Mediterranean Sea. This is the first time since the 1979 revolution that Iranian warships have crossed the Suez into the Mediterranean.

IRINS Kharg

Video:

Photos: The Financial Times Limited

Iran Ships Journey to Syria Delayed

Notwithstanding reports from Iran’s state-owned broadcasting system, the AFP is now reporting that the passage of the two Iranian warships through the Suez into the Mediterranean has been delayed by two days and it is now scheduled for Wednesday. The IRIB and its Arabic affiliate the Alalam had earlier reported that the ships had actually crossed into the Mediterranean.

"The shipping agent handling the two Iranian warships has told the canal administration to push back their passage by two days," a Suez official told AFP on Sunday [AFP, 20 February].

The ships, the frigate Alvand and its replenishment ship Kharg, are expected to anchor in the Syrian port of Latakia after passing the Suez.

Iran Navy Ships Enter Mediterranean

IRIS Alvand

The Iranian frigate Alvand and its replenishment ship Kharg crossed the Suez and reached the Mediterranean today. Iran’s state-owned broadcasting network (IRIB) said the two vessels are heading toward a Syrian port. The Suez crossing is the first for Iranian Navy ships since the 1979 revolution.

The ships, which are not carrying any unconventional cargo, are expected to anchor in the Syrian port of Latakia.

The new Egyptian government approved the passage through the Suez honoring its treaty that obliges it to allow free passage through the waterway. Israel has called the crossing “provocative.”

The Alvand is equipped with anti-ship missiles and torpedoes. The Kharg carries 250 sailors and three helicopters.

Photo: IRIS Alvand File Photo. Majid Jamshidi / Fars News Agency