Today, Iran announced two technical achievements. The first was a new missile with a range of 2,000 km known as the “Ashura.” The Iranian Military was very proud of the fact that this missile is able to target all of Israel, which worries several nations. However, a lot of news agencies overlooked the fact that Iran already possesses a missile class with the range of 2,100 km and could attack Israel at a moment’s notice. It is unknown what the new missile offers over the older class, but I am sure we shall see in the coming weeks.
The second advancement was a purely Iranian developed and built submarine. Iran touted it as having “state-of-the-art electronic equipment and advanced acoustic silencing equipment. In essence, the new sub class was developed for stealth purposes. It also boasts the capability to simultaneously fire missiles and torpedoes. Israeli news sources speculate that the sub will be used to disrupt cargo vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. While the Iranians claim the vessel and the new missile will both be used for self-defense in the wake of any aggressive attacks stemming from its nuclear program. The Iranians took delivery of the submarine today and will no doubt put her to sea as soon as possible.
Regardless of the true purpose of these new technologies, Bush will no doubt attempt to spin it as a reason to attack Iran. However, this submarine would be classified as a light, short-range submarine. These types of subs are best utilized as coastal patrol vessels and most likely runs on diesel power, which would require it to refuel about every 7000 km. Do not be fooled by rhetoric, if Iran had wanted Israel “wiped off the map,” they would have attempted it already. For now, it seems that threats against Israel are just saber-rattling.

Filed under: Alex Habrock, Featured Stories, Iran