More than 100 domestically-built missile-launching speed boats join Iran’s naval fleet

Iranian naval forces have received more than 100 missile-launching speed boats designed and manufactured by experts at home, in what will boost the Islamic Republic’s offensive power in the strategic Persian Gulf waters.

During a ceremony on Thursday, 112 new-generation offensive speed boats of different classes were unveiled and delivered to the naval forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

Enjoying hydrodynamic functional features, the boats are capable of sailing at a high speed, with a low radar cross-section (RCS) and a high level of offensive power, the IRGC’s Sepah News reported.

The event was attended by several high-ranking military officials, including Chief IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami, IRGC Navy Commander Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, and Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami.

IRGC chief: Defense doesn’t mean passivity against enemies

Addressing the ceremony, Salami hailed Iran’s significant progress in the defense sector, warning that the Islamic Republic will give a crushing response to enemies if threatened.

“The Islamic Republic has the determination. We will not bow to enemies. We will not retreat. Progress is the nature of our work. Defense is our logic in war but not in the sense of passivity against the enemy. Our operations and tactics are offensive and we have shown it in the battlefield,” he said.

The IRGC commander said that a key portion of Iran’s maritime power is still “unknown” to others.

“The most important and dangerous part of this power is unknown. Our enemies will see this power the day when they pursue an evil intention against this land. On that day, they will get to see the real firepower of our forces at the sea and in the sky, and the battlefield will turn into a hell for the enemies of Iran and Islam,” he warned.

Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing military equipment and hardware despite facing US sanctions and Western economic pressure.

The Islamic Republic says its military power is solely for defensive purposes against enemy threats.

‘Persian Gulf security belt to get a boost’

Iran’s defense minister also addressed the event, highlighting the significance of maintaining security in the Persian Gulf and the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

By manufacturing the high-speed boats and delivering them to the IRGC Navy, he said, “the security belt of the Persian Gulf and especially the vital Strait of Hormuz will be strengthened.”

Iran has always been a focus attention for world powers given the fact that the country has some 5,000 kilometers of maritime borders and coastlines, and that it is rich in maritime resources, including deep-sea oil reserves.

Hatami highlighted the geopolitical significance of the Persian Gulf region, describing it as one of the world’s most strategic regions, which links three continents together.

Iran attaches high importance to maintaining and consolidating security in the Strait of Hormuz as most of the world’s fuel flow through the key passage.

He further criticized certain trans-regional powers, who have been attempting to disrupt the region’s security, adding that such attempts are aimed at ensuring America’s dominance over the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

He slammed a move by the US to create an anti-Iran military coalition in the Persian Gulf, saying Washington is in fact after destabilizing the region and countering Iran’s dominance over the international waterway.

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