Shahid Soleimani vessel enables IRGC to be present in oceans: Cmdr.

Tehran, IRNA – A domestically-developed patrol-combat vessel, named Shahid Soleimani vessel, provides Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy with the ability to have a powerful presence in oceans, an IRGC commander said. Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri, the commander of the IRGC Navy, said on Saturday that the homegrown vessel’s accession to the combat forces of the Navy will help echo the name of the revered martyr Qassem Soleimani to be heard in all seas and oceans, because the vessel has been named after the Iranian Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, who was martyred by the US’s drone attack at Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020. The Shahid Soleimani patrol combat vessel is capable of carrying helicopters, he said, adding that it possesses electronic warfare, information technology systems, air defense systems, rocket launchers, and radar-evading stealth technology. The Shahid Soleimani combat patrol vessel is 67-meter long and has a weight of 600 tons. In the last four years, the IRGC Navy has received operational equipment in nine phases, he said, adding that the Iranian scientists have designed and manufactured most of the equipment. With the support of knowledge-based companies and leverage of capabilities of revolutionary youths, the IRGC Navy succeeded in upgrading and renovating the equipment needed for different missions, he noted. The Shahid Soleimani vessel is a symbol of pride because it is homegrown, the rear admiral said, adding that the vessel has been manufactured amid cruel sanctions imposed by global arrogance. The Iranian engineers with an average age of around 35 have made all-out efforts to design and manufacture the vessel in around three years in line with guidelines of Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who promoted support for localized know-how, national production, and knowledge-based companies. He also emphasized that the presence of Iranian military forces in the Persian Gulf helps maintain security and stability in the region, noting that Iran has told regional states that regional states can cooperate to guarantee security in the Persian Gulf region. transregional countries should not be allowed to have a military presence in the region under the excuse of maintaining security because the foreigners’ presence has been the source of creating insecurity, sowing discord, and looting assets of nations, he warned. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish