Until now, Iran’s subs have never ventured far from home. But the Fars news agency Tuesday quoted an informed source as saying the Navy now had subs inside the Red Sea.
The Fars report did not name the submarines or even say how many had been dispatched.
The publication of the news appeared to be part of a continuing effort to portray the Islamic Republic as a major military power.
Iran has only three subs that are suitable for long voyages. Those are three Soviet-designed Kilo-class subs bought from Russia in the 1990s. They each displace about 4,000 tons. It is likely the subs in the Red Sea are Kilo-class.
Iran also has a solitary Nahang-class sub, made in Iran and launched in 2006. Iran has not built any more Nahangs, suggesting it is not pleased with the vessel. The Nahang displaces only 400 tons and isn’t suitable for long deployments.
Iran also has 11 mini-subs displacing less than 150 tons each. These are suitable only for work close to shore because of their size. Iran launched the first of these Qadir-class subs in 2007 and is turning one out every few months.
Although Fars carried the report of the deployment in the Red Sea Tuesday, it said the submarines actually left port May 1 along with the destroyer Shahid Naqdi and supply ship Bandar Abbas when they were dispatched to the Gulf of Aden on anti-piracy patrol.
Fars quoted its sources as saying the main task of the subs in the Red Sea is to “identify combat vessels of the different world countries and collect information about the sea bed in international waters.” More likely, the main tasking is to learn how to operate at great distances from home.