Ahoy! Iran’s Alvand frigate sets sail for international waters
Iran is very proud of its navy and wants to showcase its abilities even though the navy seems to be outmatched by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
By SETH J. FRANTZMANIranian Alvand warship is pictured at a dock in the Syrian coastal city Latakia(photo credit: REUTERS/STRINGER IRAN)
Iran’s small navy sent its Alvand frigate and a support ship set sail for a few days of enjoyable weather off the coast of Iran this week.Iran’s Fars news said this represented the dispatch of the 64th squadron to show off the strategic depth of Iran and hoist the flag in international waters. In 2016 the 44th naval squadron first sailed around the African continent, with the Alvand and a support ship.Iran is very proud of its navy and wants to showcase its abilities even though the navy seems to be outmatched by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in terms of budgets and also the more interesting missions given to the IRGC.For instance, the IRGC gets to harass foreign warships and oil tankers, plant mines on tankers and blow them up, a practice that it has excelled in over the last six months since US-Iran tensions grew in May. The IRGC also boasts of its various drone capabilities and other aspects of its arsenal that make the navy seem a bit more boring by comparison.Iran’s frigates were laid down in the 1960s by the British. One of Alvand’s sister ships, the Sahand, was sunk by the US in 1988 during the ‘tanker war.’There are now three of these types of ships in service. The ship usually docks at Bandar Abbas, according to Iranian reports. It may have been set to sea in light of a recent large naval drill the US launched from Bahrain. Iran wants to work with Russia and China on new naval maneuvers in the future, hoping to challenge the Americans.
