Iran Early Bird-Friday

Iranian war games in the Persian Gulf

The Iranian Navy this week conducted an extensive four-stage naval exercise, codenamed "Ettehad 87" (Unity 87), in the Persian Gulf, Sea of Oman and the sensitive Strait of Hormuz region. The six-day drill (December 2-7) involved a large number of naval vessels – frigates, destroyers, missile boats and submarines – and also aircraft – helicopters, fighter jets and UAVs. The exercise also saw the firing of various types of missiles and the drilling of symmetrical and asymmetrical warfare techniques.. The exercise took place at the height of an Iranian propaganda campaign that is being orchestrated by the political-religious leadership, Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps commanders, the army and the media. The central message: The Iranian armed forces have the ability to repel any threat, and Iran is ready to retaliate aggressively and severely if its nuclear installations are attacked.



Iran is also stressing that it has the ability – if it so chooses – to block the passage of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, thereby conveying a forceful message to the Gulf states that they would be wise to depend on Iran rather than foreign forces as the regional security anchor. According to Iran's naval chief, Habibollah Sayyari, the navy is ready to defend Iran's sea and land borders, and that in any event, there is no justification for the presence of foreign soldiers in the Persian Gulf region.



In the same spirit, Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in his message to the Muslim Hajj pilgrims in Mecca that the West (and the Arab leaders who rely on it) is on a down slope and that the revolutionary Islam, led by Iran, is experiencing a revival.



Publicly, the Iranian Army's naval commanders stressed that the exercise was designed to assess Iran's readiness to defend its borders, test new, locally made weapons systems, boost coordination among the participating units and corps, and conduct multi-stage operations in the area of the Strait of Hormuz.



The exercise, which won widespread media coverage in Iran, consisted of four stages:



Stage 1 (December 2) – the deployment of forces in the Persian Gulf and around the Strait of Hormuz, implementation of passive defense principles, location and identification of the enemy



Stage 2 (December 3) – the scrambling of F-4E fighter jets and the firing of AGM-65A (Maverick) and AGM-84 (Harpoon) air-to-ground missiles used by the Iranian Air Force; the drill also involved Iranian missile boats and destroyers that operated against a virtual enemy



Stage 3 (December 4-5) – This stage, defined as the main part of the drill, included:

· Operations carried out by heavy and Ghadir-class midget submarines that simulated the firing of torpedoes against virtual enemy targets both underwater and above the surface

· The firing of anti-ship missiles and a medium-range Nasr-1 ground-to-ground missile; some sources claimed a Nasr-2 missile was also tested

· Operations launched from submarines by naval commando forces who practised asymmetrical warfare assaults on "an enemy base" on the beach

· Electronic warfare exercises designed to disrupt enemy systems

· The firing of the Iran-made Fajr-27 naval gun, which is equipped with firing control systems and has the ability, according to Iranian officials, of striking targets both in the air and on the ground; the first cannon of this kind was installed on the Joshan torpedo boat in the presence of Supreme Leader Khamenei

· The operation of air-defense systems

· Further operations involving F-4E fighter jets, which again fired AGM-65A (Maverick) and AGM-84 (Harpoon) air-to-ground missiles at targets on the water; the dropping of depth charges by F-4D aircraft

· The operation of UAVs that supported and followed the activities of the various forces



Stage 4 (December 6-7) – a ceremonial-like display involving some 60 naval vessels – Ghadir class midget submarines, Qa'em semi-heavy submarines, Kilo class Russian-made submarines – and Iranian Navy helicopters; this stage also saw the firing of a Nasr-1 ground-to-ground missile.



During the course of the maneuvers, the commander of the Iranian Navy announced that the naval forces had recently received two Iranian-made missile boats, the Drfash and Kalat, which had served in the past to transport soldiers and had now been fitted with rocket systems and medium-range ground-to-ground missiles, and also a Ghadir class midget submarine. Iran claimed recently that some of its submarines have stealth capabilities and cannot be detected. Iran also recently refurbished a Tariq submarine, and, in 2008, began using a number of naval-combat simulators for both defensive and offensive drills. The Iranian naval forces are also investing much effort in the upgrading and production of coastal defense missiles, primarily on the basis of the Chinese Silkworm and C-802 models.



Following the completion of the exercise, the Iranian naval commander said it had "succeeded beyond expectations" and had proved Iran's ability to defend its borders and the fact that it was the most powerful and prominent force in the region. The commander added that the codename of the exercise, "Unity," symbolized the fact that the countries of the region had the ability to jointly defend their interests without the need for the intervention of foreign forces. For his part, Iran's defense minister said that on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, the maneuvers were a symbol of the strength and readiness of the Iranian Navy to deal with any threat, as well as the achievements and self-sufficiency of the Iranian military industries.



In recent months, Iran has established a number of new naval bases in the area of the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman, thereby boosting, so Tehran claims, its ability to defend its sea and land borders. The latest base to be established is the fourth base of the IRGC's naval forces and is located in the city of Assalouyeh in the Bushehr Province. Earlier, a new base was set up on the island of Jasek, east of the Strait of Hormuz.



The Iranian public relations machine gave prominent play to two recently published studies – the first, by the Washington Institute, which focuses on the asymmetrical warfare capabilities of the IRGC's naval forces who are well-equipped, highly motivated and well funded; and the second, by the British ISIS organization, which assessed that an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would not stop the country's atomic energy program. At the same time, almost every report released by public relations officials reiterates the findings of the NIE report that determined, among other things, that "Iran suspended its military nuclear program in the fall of 2003." Public relations officials also repeatedly stress that the International Atomic Energy Agency has praised Iran for its cooperation with the body.



Collision course



Early 2008 witnessed an incident involving IRGC speedboats and U.S. warships that could have led to a severe flare-up but ended only in an exchange of documented versions of the incident, and failed to surprise the U.S. Navy, which has become "accustomed" to provocative Iranian displays of strength of this kind. The U.S. Navy is very familiar with the scenario of Iranian ships approaching American naval vessels from back in the days of the tanker battles during the Iran-Iraq War.



In this context, the New York Times reported in January of this year that in August 2002, the United States conducted war games, The Millennium Challenge 2002," during which the U.S. Navy came under fierce attack by "swarms" of Iranian speedboats that managed to sink 16 destroyers, an aircraft carrier and amphibious craft (in October 2000, a small boat slammed into the side of the U.S.S. Cole in a port in Yemen, killing 16 U.S. sailors). Iran conducts "swarm" attack drills in the framework of its preparations, in the event of an attack, for asymmetrical warfare against an enemy rich in technology and resources. In keeping with warnings it frequently issues, Iran also drills blocking the passage of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.



Waves of swarms



One of the U.S. commanders who participated in the American war games and played on the "Red Team" – the Iranian side – related that the continuous wave of assaults launched by swarms of Iranian speedboats in the framework of the exercises had "overloaded [the U.S. Navy's] ability, both mentally and electronically, to handle the attack." He also noted that during the course of the exercise, the "Red Team" had used cheap speedboats, machine guns and rockets, adding that some of the boats had also been laden with explosives for the purpose of carrying out suicide attacks by smashing into the sides of the U.S. vessels.

In a telephone interview following the incident in the Persian Gulf involving the U.S. warships and the Iranian speedboats, another U.S. commander who had also been involved in the August 2002 maneuvers said that if the attacks of September 11, 2001, proved to the public how terrorists could transform hijacked airliners into hostage-filled cruise missiles, then the “Millennium Challenge 2002” war game was a warning to the United States as to how an adversary could apply similar, asymmetrical thinking to conflict at sea.

“It’s clear, strategically, where the Iranian military has gone,” U.S. Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, commented in the same context. “For the years that this strategic shift toward their small, fast boats has taken place, we’ve been very focused on that.” Mullen added that senior U.S. military officials were also concerned about the IRGC's naval forces taking over responsibility for patrolling the Persian Gulf from the Iranian Army's navy. Note, the IRGC recently officially assumed responsibility for security in the Persian Gulf.



The IRGC's naval forces were involved over the past year in a number of incidents in the Gulf with U.S. vessels, and the IRGC forces were also behind the March 2007 abduction of the 15 British sailors who were on routine patrol in Iraqi territorial waters. This incident constituted a stark example of the IRGC naval forces' ability to practically implement the asymmetrical naval warfare principle of using small and fast boats against large Western vessels and taking advantage of the element of surprise to inflict strikes.

In the mid and late 1980s, during the Iran-Iraq War, the sea served as the principal arena of conflict between Iran and the United States. Iran laid mines in the Persian Gulf and some struck American ships; the United States, for its part, responded by sinking a number of IRGC speedboats and Iranian destroyers, and also carried out strikes against various Iranian naval installations.

The IRGC, whose navy makes up the major part of the Iranian naval forces, has been preparing for some time now for the eventuality that Iran will be attacked, and believes that the naval arena, in which the United States is operating, constitutes a convenient battleground in which Iran can more readily implement asymmetrical warfare principles against "large and heavy targets" such as aircraft carriers.

As a result, the IRGC is constantly working towards boosting its naval capabilities, primarily when it comes to using speedboats, specializing in the laying of mines and enhancing coordination and cooperation with the Iranian Army's air, ground and naval forces. In the framework of its operations, the IRGC is implementing the lessons learned during the Iran-Iraq War and making use of intelligence gathered daily about the ongoing activities and naval threat of the coalition forces operating the Persian Gulf region.

From another angle, Iran is "exporting" its asymmetrical warfare doctrine to terror organizations in the Middle East, and Hezbollah Lebanon in particular. During the Second Lebanon War, Hezbollah forces fired a C-802 coastal defense missile at an Israel Navy vessel and its crew; furthermore, Hamas and Islamic Jihad members are being trained in Iran in asymmetrical warfare, including in the naval arena.



The IRGC wants to keep the tension with the United States alive – and the naval incidents in the Persian Gulf, the numerous and extensive naval exercises that Iran is conducting, the threats being voiced by the Iranian leaders during these maneuvers and the test firing of missiles are all evidence of this. The daily friction between Iran and the United States in the naval arena has the potential to spark a major escalation. In the past, the United States has shown restraint in the face of Iranian provocation, but this has only encouraged Iran's defiance.