Fun with Iran: Some Iranian Republican Guard Navy "General" Says "US Terrified by IRGC's Deployment in Persian Gulf"

Hot off the steaming presses of the Iraninan state-controlled media site Farsnews comes this howler of a story:

The US forces deployed in the Persian Gulf are afraid of the presence

of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps in the same waters, a senior commander said, adding that the IRGC enjoys full intelligence supremacy and might in the region.
"The IRGC's might and power has grown to the extent that the Americans are terrified when they come across our vessels and this powerful presence exists in the sea, sky, space and land," Commander of the IRGC Navy's Third Zone Brigadier General Mansour Ravankar told FNA on Wednesday.

Noting that the IRGC Navy uses all its defensive capacities, vessels and quick-reaction forces to defend the country, he underlined the IRGC's full intelligence superiority in the region.

"The IRGC Navy is present in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz region with full power," General Ravankar said.

In relevant remarks in March, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi underlined Iran's deterrence power, and said 100 IRGC vessels are always deployed in the Persian Gulf to confront any threats.

"100 IRGC vessels are present in the Persian Gulf round the clock everyday and the Americans see our vessels everywhere they look," Fadavi said, addressing a gathering in the Central province of Isfahan.

He said the US has come to the conclusion that any action against the Islamic Revolution will be rather harmful than serving its interests, "therefore, they don’t dare to take any action and this shows the Islamic Revolution's deterrence power which is increasing everyday".

Not sure "terrified" is exactly the right word, but so it goes.

Meanwhile, there is the obligatory report of the Iranian Navy chasing pirates (which no other country is reporting seeing) from attacks on Iranian shipping:

Alborz (AP photo)

Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced that the country's 40th flotilla of warships has repelled pirates' attack on an Iranian ship in free waters after fierce clashes.
"On Saturday, 7 pirate boats attacked an Iranian ship but they received the crushing response of the 40th fleet of warships," Sayyari said on Monday.

The Iranian Navy's 40th fleet of warships left Bandar Abbas port, in Southern Hormuzgan province, for the international waters on April 2 to protect the country's cargo ships and oil tankers against pirate attacks.

The Navy's 40th fleet, comprising Tonb logistic warship and Alborz destroyer, is tasked with conducting anti-piracy patrols in the high seas and the Gulf of Aden.

Yawn. The names change, the baloney does not.

By the way, Alborz recently celebrated its 45th anniversary since its 1971 commissioning. Congrats, old timer!

As for Tonb, here's a video of it joining the Iranian fleet in 2015:

Oh my gosh! Iran's Navy to threaten to sail into the Atlantic Ocean

The ever awesome Iranian navy is venturing forth to touch the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, thus striking dread and fear in the hearts and minds of  . . . well, exactly who is impressed? Story here.

Must be intended for the naive and clueless, because a force like that described is mostly a threat to international navigation.

The Decline of Somali Pirates and the Rise of Private Security

As is now well-documented, Somali pirates had an awful 2013 - recording no hijackings. Perhaps they are "lying doggo" waiting for all the naval patrols and armed security teams to go away when the providing states and shipowners decide the cost of maintaining them is too high.

In any event, there is this:

Undoubtedly shipping industry adherence to industry Best Management Practices (BMP) has been vitally important, so too has been the reassurance of patrolling navies. However, the single most effective protection and deterrent against pirates has been the widespread deployment of privately contracted armed security personnel (PCASP) onboard vulnerable vessels.

Enhanced professionalism within the private maritime security industry has acted as a catalyst for the protection of vessels, and it still remains that no armed merchant vessel has yet been hijacked. Despite successes, piracy clearly remains a danger with pirates still operating, and all stakeholders are urged to avoid complacency.

Of course, if you are Iranian, this "war on piracy" has been a singular victory, as set out here, dated 8 Jan:

An attempt by pirates to hijack an Iranian oil tanker in international waters was foiled by the timely action of the Iranian warships present in the region.

Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Navy for Operations Admiral Siyavash Jarreh announced on Wednesday that the Navy's 28th fleet of warship saved the Iranian tanker from pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden.

"The Iranian oil tanker was attacked by 12 pirate boats this morning but they failed due to the timely action of the 28th flotilla of warships and the pirates fled the scene," he added.

The admiral underlined that the Iranian oil tanker was escorted by the Navy flotilla through the waterway and continued its path towards its destination fully safely.

In relevant remarks last month, a senior Iranian commander praised the exceptionally good performance of the country's naval forces for maintaining security to the international waters by escorting thousands of vessels in the high seas.

“In the last three years, around 3,000 cargo ships and oil tankers have been escorted by the Navy’s commandos and vessels,” Commander of the Iranian Navy’s Missile Program Admiral Ali Vafadar told FNA in December.

He also said that pirates' attempts to hijack 147 cargo ships and oil tankers in international waters have been aborted due to the timely action of the Iranian warships deployed in the region.

Vafadar said that the Iranian naval forces have also managed to seize control of a number of pirate boats and vessels, arrest their crews and transferred them to Iran to stand trial for their crimes.

From THE NAVAL INSTITUTE GUIDE TO COMBAT FLEETS OF THE WORLD, 16th Edition Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems by Eric Wertheim

It appears the Somali pirates have not disappeared from the seas, instead, they are focusing on Iranian ships in great numbers.

I wonder how those "trials" are going . . .

Odd, though, the last time (20 Dec 2013) we heard of the "28th Flotilla," it in Sri Lanka, as set out here:

“The 28th Flotilla of this force comprising Alborz warship, Bandar Abbas warship and semi-heavy Younus submarine as well as a 212 combat helicopter berthed at Colombo port, Sri Lanka, after departing from India’s Mumbai port and travelling thousands of kilometers,” Lieutenant Navy Commander for Operations Siyavash Jarreh said on Friday.

The pictures show the ships of the "Mighty 28th."

They made pretty good time from Colombo to the "Gulf of Aden" traveling all those "thousands of kilometers."

A veritable fast task force.

Iran Announces Naval Deployment to East Asia - Even - Oh, Wow! - A Submarine

Iranian Tareq-class Sub

A part of Iran's Navy gets to go a'sailing, reported by Farsnews:

The (Iranian) Navy will dispatch the ultra heavy Tareq-class submarine, ‘Younus’ as part of the Navy’s 28th flotilla of warships to the countries of East Asia,” Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Navy for Operations Admiral Siyavash Jarreh said Wednesday afternoon, a few hours before the 28th flotilla left the harbor in Southern Iran.

Frigate Alborz

He underlined Iran's sophisticated technology in the naval industry, saying “The most complicated technology of world’s military equipment belongs to submarines.”

The Admiral said that Alborz destroyer and Bandar Abbas helicopter-carrier warship will accompany Younus in this crucially important extraterritorial mission of the Iranian Navy.

“The Navy’s 28th Flotilla will berth at Mumbai and Colombo ports during its voyage,” he added.

The "Tareq-class" is group of three the Iranian Russian-made Project 877 (NATO Kilo) class submarines.

Mumbai is an Indian ports and Colombo is a port in Sri Lanka.

The bragging about the Iranian tech is because the Iranians overhauled their subs and they still seem to work.

As far as the "Bandar Abbas helicopter-carrier warship" - well, there is, identified in the invaluable (and virtually no place else) THE NAVAL INSTITUTE GUIDE TO COMBAT FLEETS OF THE WORLD, 16th Edition Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems by Eric Wertheim* this little 4700 ton oiler that apparently can carry a single small helicopter in its telescoping helicopter hanger. Just a little over-statement of capability, right?

*Let me again recommend THE NAVAL INSTITUTE GUIDE TO COMBAT FLEETS OF THE WORLD, 16th Edition Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems by Eric Wertheim as a Christmas gift to the "navalist" in your life (even if that means "self-gifting" it). No better reference exists.

Iran: Grand Scale Press Puffery

Iranian press releases concerning their military capabilities never cease to amaze - much like the lurid covers of the lamented World Weekly News - the simple absurdity of the puffed up claims is, if nothing else, captivating.

For example, here's a interesting story: PressTV - Iran Navy plans to expand presence near South Pole

Iran’s Navy has launched plans to extend its presence in the international waters near the South Pole, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari says.

Iran wants to visit the polar bears!

“We have the capability to hoist Iran’s flags in different regions from the North Pole to the South Pole and we are preparing plans for presence near the South Pole,” Sayyari said on Friday.

Well, since the South Pole sits on top of a rather large land mass, covered with ice 2700 meters (9000 ft) deep, the Iranian Navy must have some really special ships.

If he means Iran has ships that can sail off the coast of Antarctica, so do the clowns of Whale Wars, and pretty much every other sea-going county in the world. All of which points out how modest these plans are, I suppose. Might as well announce plans to go to the grocery store. As far as I can tell, there is no one standing in their way.

The real question is why the Iranians would want to make the effort to go to polar regions. For that, I have no answer, unless it's "because they are there."

Of course, the Iranians also plan to expand their force to provide protection for the U.S. coast by patrolling the Atlantic, though they seem to couch it in different terms:

Earlier this month, Sayyari said Iran aims to put warships in international waters off the U.S. coast "within the next few years." He also said Iran's navy would be "present anywhere in international waters in order to safeguard the Islamic Republic's interests."

Portions of the Iranian Navy

We know it is "peaceful" because they keep reassuring us that is the case:

Tehran has repeatedly clarified that its military might is merely based on the nation's defense doctrine of deterrence and poses no threat to other countries.

So, if they are not a threat, they must be planning to put a force off our coast in international waters to lend us a hand in patrolling the sea lanes of commerce to keep them open for free commerce between nations of good will . . . .

The Iranian Islamic Revolution Guard Guard Corps Navy also likes to provide tales of their heroic prowess to gullible minds. Here's an example of a joint press release from the IRGCN itself:

Iran keeps a watchful eye on naval moves of the enemies in the region and is fully informed of all their military actions due to its intelligence supremacy over the enemies, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said.

"We have good intelligence and security supremacy over enemies' moves in the Persian Gulf given our modern and advanced equipments, and our operational and intelligence patrols deep into the Persian Gulf have increased the capability," Commander of the IRGC's Second Naval Zone General Ali Razmjou told reporters in Iran's Southern port city of Bushehr.

He said that the Persian Gulf has become "an unconquerable stronghold" for Iran, but at the same time noted that Iran's military capabilities are only meant to promote the country's deterrent power.

Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari had also earlier this week stressed Iran's intelligence supremacy over US moves in the region, and noted that Iran is well informed of the details of the US naval moves in the region.

Do they know about this?

"We are well aware of the exact number and the position of the US surface vessels, aircrafts, submarines and minesweeping warships in the region," Sayyari underscored on Friday.

You know, for a peace loving country the Iranians seem to have lots of "enemies."

"Intelligence supremacy." Snort.

Iran Fights Pirates -- Better than Anyone Else! Ever! ... Yeah, that's it

From Iran's Fars News Agency - "Navy Thwarts Attempted Hijack of 2 Iranian Cargo Ships":

Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Seyed Mahmoud Moussavi said that the Iranian vessels were attacked twice by a total number of 50 Somali pirate speedboats 15 and 26 miles Northwest of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.

Moussavi stated that the Iranian naval forces' swift action and their heavy fire forced the pirates to flee the scene.

50 pirate speedboats? 50? Two attacks of 25 each or what?

UPDATE: Well, perhaps it was even more:

Iran's Navy Deputy Commander Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi said Saturday that the two vessels were attacked by 30-50 pirate speedboats respectively at 15 and 26 miles northwest of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The pirates fled after Iran's Navy took swift action and opened heavy fire on them, he added.


Mousavi added that the vessels were carrying millions of dollars worth of goods.

So, perhaps it was 60 or 100 pirate boats? Awesome.

Unbelievable.

Literally.

Bring back the Weekly World News. You know, with news you can rely on:

Of course, if I were Iran I might worry about that particular headline.

Iran Media Hype: "US uses piracy as excuse to control energy passage: Iran Navy official"

Iranian Aircraft Carrier "The Bob"

In the world of information warfare, the Iranians follow the old Avis slogan of "We Try Harder!" Hype is the polite word for most of their efforts.

Here's the latest gem from Iran's PressTV (all the misspellings are PressTV's, the highlight is mine): "US uses piracy as excuse to control energy passage: Iran Navy official":

The issue of piracy has provided the US with a pretext to maintain its presence in the strategic region of the Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab Strait, Captain Khordad Hakimi told reporters on Sunday, IRNA reported.

Given the fact that some 65 and 35 percent of energy demanded by Europe and the US respectively passes through this region, the United States finds it necessary to compete for controlling and dominating the flow of energy, he added.

The commander also pointed out that the US has equipped pirates with weapons and satellite information to justify its presence in the region and thus control the flow of energy.

According to captain Hakimi, more than 20 countries have dispatched their naval forces to the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, but only Iran, India and Russia carry out independent missions while others work as joint maritime forces led by the US.

Now, let me turn the tables. Let me re-write parts of the "story" placing Iran as the subject:

An American Navy official says Iran uses the issue of piracy in the Gulf of Aden as a pretext to maintain presence in the region with the aim of controlling the flow of energy.

The issue of piracy has provided Iran with a pretext to maintain its presence in the strategic region of the Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab Strait, Captain I.M. Nobody told reporters on Sunday, USNOTNEWS reported.

Given the fact that some 80 percent of energy shipped by Iran passes through this region and is vital to the Iranian economy, Iran asserts it necessary to compete for controlling and dominating the flow of energy, he added.

The commander also pointed out that Iran has equipped pirates with weapons and satellite information to justify its presence in the region and thus control the flow of energy.

According to Captain Nobody, more than 20 countries have dispatched their naval forces to the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, but only Iran, India and Russia carry out independent missions while others work as joint maritime forces led by the US.

The U.S. and its coalition partners have so far escorted or protected about a zillion ships in the Gulf of Aden, Nobody said, adding that a few of them came under attack by pirates, but were successfully rescued.

In line with international efforts against piracy, the U.S. Navy has been conducting patrols in the Gulf of Aden since the earth cooled in order to safeguard merchant containers and oil tankers owned or leased by the U.S. or other countries.

The Gulf of Aden, which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea, is a strategic energy corridor particularly because the Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West via the Suez Canal.

Despite patrols by Iran and several other countries allied with the West, Somali pirates have hijacked dozens of ships in recent years and have taken in tens of millions of dollars in ransoms.

Gee, that was fun and easy.

How Iran Says "Thanks"

The photo is a message from me to the FARS propaganda machine.

BBC News report here;:

According to a New York Times reporter who boarded the captured Al Molai with the US forces, the Iranian fishermen expressed great gratitude for their rescue, with one saying: "It is like you were sent by God."

But Iran's Fars news agency expressed suspicion about the operation, saying it was "like a Hollywood film" which "seems to have been pre-organised". (emphasis added)

"Fars" should be pronounced "farce."

UPDATE: Official Iran says "humanitarian" rescue, Fars gets caught in another misrepresentation here - read the last paragraph for the smack down.

Iranian Press TV accused of making up stories about U.S. drone strikes in Somalia

Not really surprising, giving the silliness of some of their other fake reporting, but it is nice to see other people noticing. Here's a Daily Telegraph report, "Iranian Press TV accused of faking drone strike reports":

The channel, which is based in Tehran and broadcasts around-the-clock in English, claims that more the 1,370 people have been killed in 56 drone strikes since September - an average of 24 deaths per attack.

But an analysis of their reports by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism found no evidence to back up the claims.
***
The US is known to have used drones in Somalia but Tony Burns, the director of operations at the charity Saacid, which is based in Mogadishu, said the cited casualty figures were "simply not possible".
***
A UN official told the Bureau: "Press TV is not a reliable source. It exaggerates and openly fabricates reports," while American diplomats said the reports were "wholly false".

The Iranian Department of Clumsy Disinformation gets another red card.