TEHRAN -- Iran’s top Navy
ommander says the production of indigenous Zagros and Damavand-2 destroyers is progressing as planned, and the two major military feats will join the country’s naval fleet in near future.
In an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN) broadcast on Friday night, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said the two new-generation, homegrown destroyers will be handed over to the naval forces in an official ceremony marking a special event, without specifying the exact date.
“The reason is that they must pass rigorous tests, and the accumulated technical information must then be transferred to the technical and industrial departments of the Navy and reorganized in compliance with the latest technology,” Irani said.
He noted that the cutting-edge technology has to be incorporated into the destroyers to enable the Iranian Navy marines to exercise authority in all open seas whenever the need arises.
“While various watercraft are joining the Navy’s southern and northern fleets, the production of different types of naval ships is high on our agenda,” Irani said. “We have completed studies into the manufacture of heavy destroyers, and will soon enter the industrial production phase.”
The top commander emphasized that the country’s surface and sub-surface vessels are all domestically-developed, saying the production of submarines and multi-purpose destroyers is a sign of the country’s industrial capabilities.
“The Americans’ annoyance is because the Islamic Republic of Iran possesses the required technology for the design and production of destroyers and submarines, and is also able to operate them on open seas,” Irani stressed, pointing to concerns in the West over Iran’s military advancements.
He said the Iranian Navy’s activities are defined within the framework of defense and naval diplomacy, stressing that the security of the region must be ensured by regional countries themselves.
Elaborating on the Iranian Navy’s plans for future joint exercises, Irani said they seek an “effective presence in all combined exercises”, which he said means that one of the destroyers and fleets “must be present in that exercise according to the accepted definition”.
“Iranian naval forces were involved in two major events last year. One of them was a combined trilateral naval exercise with the participation of Russian and Chinese navies. Dena, Sahand and Jamaran destroyers were present in that drill, and all three were in charge of commanding the exercise,” the commander explained.
“Another exercise in which the Iranian Navy was present was the 2022 Maritime Security Belt hosted by India,” he hastened to add.