Iran Concedes Building Submarines To Maintain ‘Security’
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Defense Ministry said it started to build submarines to give its military “the most advanced arms” and maintain “security” in the Strait of Hormuz.
The production line for the Qaem submarines, which will have the capacity to transport and launch torpedoes and subsurface missiles, was inaugurated yesterday, Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar was quoted as saying by the state-run Fars news agency.
Iran’s armed forces “are the protectors of the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway and consider security in this vital waterway important for the country itself and other nations in the region,” Mr. Najjar said.
The Strait of Hormuz, at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, is a chokepoint between Iran and Oman through which about a fifth of the world’s daily oil supply is shipped.
Iran is caught in a standoff with Western countries over its nuclear program. America, while saying it is committed to a diplomatic solution, has never ruled out military action.
Iran warned in June that it would “impose control” on the Gulf, including the strait, in response to any attack on its atomic installations.
