by MEMRI
In a May 6, 2014 interview, the commander of the navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Rear-Adm. Ali Fadavi, gave details about his navy's operational preparations for a possible clash with the U.S., focusing particularly on the destruction of the U.S. Navy. Fadavi claimed that after a great deal of practice attacking models of American warships that it had built, Iran is now capable of sinking a real one in 50 seconds, and noted that Iran's aim in preparing to strike American aircraft carriers is to defeat and humiliate the U.S.
Iran, he said, compensates for its technological inferiority to the U.S. with a strategy of asymmetrical warfare, including suicide attacks and the use of speedboat and its missile capability. He added that Iran can prevent the U.S. from using its advanced technology against it, but gave no further details as to how.
Implying that Iran would not allow the U.S. to act against it from its bases in the Persian Gulf countries, he said that the Americans were taking care not to cause a flare-up in the region because they know that they will lose any potential conflict with Iran. Therefore, he said, U.S. naval forces in the region are obeying the orders of the IRGC, which maintains oversight of the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf, out of its fear that Iranian vessels or missiles will target them.
In another interview, on May 10, Fadavi hinted that his navy was planning to use its drones both as missiles and as platforms for launching missiles.
The following are the main points from Fadavi's interviews with Fars.
"When The Enemy's Ship Is Sunk, He Is Defeated"
Fadavi told Fars: "In the battle arena, the opposing side
must be destroyed, otherwise you yourself will be destroyed. Naval warfare is
very different than land warfare. In this arena, when your ship is sunk, you are
defeated, and when the enemy's ship is sunk, he is defeated.
"The Americans presume to be a superpower, and they point at
their military capability as one of the criteria and signs of being a
superpower. America's military might lies in its naval capability, and it is
only by means of its navy that it can it reach other places in order to
actualize its imperialist goals. Therefore, the American navy is not merely one
branch; it is an [entire] army with three branches. Its warships are its navy,
its aircraft carriers provide its aerial capability, and the Marines are its the
land branch."
Fadavi in interview. Source: Fars, May 6, 2014.
The Americans Will Not Be Able To Use Their
Bases In Saudi Arabia, Qatar, And Kuwait Because Of What Is Going To
Happen
"The reason [for the U.S. Navy's long reach] is that
the Americans have no confidence at all in their ability to properly use the
countries of the southern Persian Gulf when it counts. Iran and all the southern
Persian Gulf states and the other Muslin countries are like a single family with
many children. All these children have one father, but different mothers.
Occasional disputes in such a home are natural. What the Americans do is plan to
use a base that they have built, say, in Saudi Arabia, at the right time and
when they want – [but] because of events that are going to happen, they will not
be able to do so. The same goes for [bases in] Qatar and Kuwait.
"One Of The IRGC Navy's Operational Goals Is
To Destroy The U.S. Navy"
"Our friends and our enemies [alike] are aware of only
a small part of the IRGC navy's capability, and they are not aware of a large
part of it. These unknown capabilities will be presented in time, for the
purpose of deterrence, or will emerge in the war arena. But the enemy is already
worried about the little intelligence it does have with regard to our
capabilities.
"The American aircraft carriers, which are the symbol of
American military might, are under full oversight of the IRGC. Naturally, Iran
determines when it will carry out the regular training, drills, and maneuvers
that it uses for operational goals, and the Americans and the rest of the
world know that one of the IRGC navy's operational goals is to destroy the
U.S. Navy.
"With regard to the vulnerability of the American aircraft
carriers, refer to Robert Gates's book, and see how he explicitly discusses the
aircraft carriers' vulnerability to the IRGC navy, and how he seeks to change
American naval strategy. This is no simple mission, but he stresses that the
change must be made, and [the Americans] have begun to implement it. They
acknowledged that the [huge] size of their vessels is making them easy
targets for the IRGC navy. We have very precise analyses of the designing of
these warships, and we know how we must act. The aircraft on these warships are
responsible for America's aerial capability in the battlefield, and therefore it
is natural for us to want to sink these warships."
Fadavi in
interview. Source: Fars, May 6, 2014.
"For Many Years Now, We Have Been Building
Models Of American Destroyers, Cruisers, And Frigates – And Sinking
Them"
In response to the interviewer's question about reports in
Western media that Iran has built models of American aircraft carriers in order
to practice attacking and sinking them, in the event that the nuclear
negotiations fail, Fadavi said: "The Americans do not know most of the details,
and their research institutes have presented very rough data regarding the scale
models of aircraft carriers that we are building. Actually, for many years now
we have been building models of American destroyers, cruisers, and frigates, and
sinking them. We have even successfully sunk models of their vessels within 50
seconds, in a variety of operations. These small models allow us to practice
battlefield operations in the most natural way possible. We have also
done this with a scale model of an aircraft carrier, because the destruction and
sinking of American war ships was, is, and will remain part of our plan."
We Want To Strike American Aircraft Carriers
In Order To Deliver Defeat And Humiliation To The Americans
"The Americans themselves claim that on April 14, 1988
[during the Iran-Iraq war], the IRGC navy destroyed the guided missile
frigate Samuel B. Roberts. Iranian fighters have already demonstrated
their capabilities and their skill in striking and sinking cruisers and
frigates, and today we must also practice [sinking] aircraft carriers. So we
built two-thirds scale models, 202 meters long. The Americans said in their
media that Iran did this in order to humiliate America, but that is not why we
are doing it. We are doing it for one clear purpose, the result of which will
be the defeat and humiliation of the Americans. We want to drill operational and
tactical operations of attacking an aircraft carrier."
If The Americans Do Not Heed The IRGC's
Warnings – Iran's Missile Systems Will Close In On Them
"Under international law, Iran has the right to oversee the
Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. Therefore, if American vessels do not
heed the IRGC's warnings, they will immediately see a large number of Iranian
vessels surrounding them, or Iran's missile systems closing in on them. However,
this usually does not happen. Here at the IRGC naval command and control center,
we speak to the Americans every day, and have been doing so for many years, and
they have frequently acknowledged that [when they deal with us] they are
dealing with a professional navy. It is naturally difficult for them to speak of
the IRGC this way...
"An American warship has never been seen in Iran's
territorial waters or in international waters near Iran. To see one, you have to
approach the territorial waters of the southern Persian Gulf states.
"It is the U.S. that is most careful not to fire a single
bullet in the Persian Gulf. It knows that if it does, any damage it receives
will be substantially greater than the damage it will do [to Iran]. The
Americans fear this, especially after the region was divided up between the
Iranian military's navy and the IRGC navy. After the division, and after the
IRGC naval forces were stationed in the Persian Gulf, we gathered all the
military attachés and explained to them this geographic division, under which
the IRGC navy was made responsible for the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian
Gulf, and the responsibility for the Gulf of Oman and Mazandaran [northern Iran]
and over distant [i.e. international] waters was given to the military's
navy."
Iran Will Consider The American Offer For
Determining A [Telephone Hot] Line – When It Anchors In The Gulf Of
Mexico
"At least three times, the Americans have contacted Iran via
official channels, such as the Swiss Embassy [in Tehran], to establish a
[telephone hot] line [like the one between the Soviet Union and America during
the Cold War, and thus to be able to control matters. However, we have told them
that there is only one reason for losing [control] of matters – and that is your
[i.e. the Americans'] presence in the Persian Gulf. If you leave, [we told
them], nothing will happen. At the same time, I told them we would consider it
once we anchor near American waters in the Gulf of Mexico.
"Iran has a legal duty to preserve security in the Strait of
Hormuz, which is why it takes steps so that residents of the world – and of the
Persian Gulf – can live peacefully. Insecurity in the Persian Gulf will be to
the detriment of the residents of the world, since the energy [sources] in the
region help Europe and warm Siberia. All the economic wheels in these countries
are in motion thanks to the energy of the Persian Gulf. If they stop moving,
their people will become unemployed and face hardship, which is why we take
on the responsibility of providing security in the Persian Gulf...
"However, there is one disruptive element: the Americans
themselves. Iran has a presence in the north, the east, and the west of the
Strait of Hormuz, and completely surrounds it; therefore, it considers itself
responsible for securing the region. This could be problematic following an
American move...
"It may be that all the southern Persian Gulf states wish to
maintain good relations with Iran but the enemies are not allowing them to do
so. America benefits from the absence of coordination among the countries of the
region. If there is complete coordination among them, the Americans will gain
nothing – so they are not letting this happen. This is the imperialist
policy..."
Suicide Operations And Speedboats Will
Neutralize The U.S.'s Technological Superiority
"[The U.S.] spends more than $500 million on advanced
equipment and weapons for its warships. The cost of an American warship is over
$1 billion, and of an aircraft carrier is $13 billion. The annual [maintenance]
costs for a carrier are higher than some countries' entire military budgets, and
can reach $2-$3 billion annually... But they know that these weapons are
ineffective against a new [Iranian] strategy relying on faith, on a desire for
martyrdom, and on [Iran's] unique speedboats.
"The IRGC navy brings down their technological superiority to
the situation of a nascent country, because they will not be able to use what
they have in battle. This situation is the result of a new and precise strategy
by the IRGC navy, and we will continue with this. Throughout these years, we
have not wasted a single day in improving our naval capabilities."
The Americans Will Know Where The Russian
Underwater 'Hoot' Missile Is When It Hits Them
"We have shown the Hoot underwater missile. This is a unique
Russian-made missile. It can move at 100 meters per second underwater. Some
physicists might not accept this, but Russian experts have achieved this
technology, and we benefit from it also; we have had this missile for
years..."
Responding to a question about which IRGC vessels have these
missiles, Fadavi said: "When the missile hits the Americans, both you and them
will see which units fired it..."
A Drone Can Function Like A
Missile
In a subsequent May 10 interview with Fars, Fadavi said: "The
drone command in the IRGC navy operates separately from the IRGC air force. It
uses a variety of drones, first and foremost for reconnaissance missions and
operations. We have established a drone base [that covers] the eastern,
northern, and western parts of the Strait of Hormuz, and we fly over them
regularly...
"We can launch the same missiles that we have on [our] ships
and on our shores from drones, in order to hit military targets at sea."
Asked about "suicide drones," Fadavi said: "The use of drone
technology is tactical and not strategic. We can determine battlefield tactics
according to operational needs, so that a drone can, for instance, function like
a missile.
"We have installed anti-ship missiles on our ships, our
coasts, and our helicopters. We can install medium range missiles on our drones
that can meet almost all of our needs. This process is now underway."
MEMRI
Source: http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/7984.htm
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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