TEHRAN: Iran on Tuesday officially launched the production of its first locally built submarine, a craft capable of operating stealthily, state-run television reported. Defence Ministry spokesman Mohammad Imani was quoted as saying "the enemy would not be able to detect the submarine." He did not elaborate.
One submarine has apparently already been built and was shown on television on Tuesday, cruising at sea level. The Defence Ministry has commissioned an unspecified number of the craft that’s been dubbed "Ghadir." Ghadir is a site in the Arabian Peninsula that’s holy to Shias, the overwhelming majority of Iran’s 69 million people.
The submarine, which is capable of operating in the Persian Gulf and Oman seawaters, can launch both missiles and torpedoes at the same time, the television reported, without specifying the range of the projectiles.