WarSclerotic

The Iranian Navy on Saturday boasted that it possessed airships capable of carrying out the swiftest missile strikes in the world against enemy targets.

The commander of the Iranian Navy’s Airborne Unit General Pilot Mansour Rouh Ol-Amini told the Fars News Agency that the country had “two models of BH7 and SRN6 airships and they have given us the capacity to declare that we now have the swiftest missile platforms that can fly at a high-speed and leave the region after fire.”

He added that islands in the Persian Gulf act as “aircraft carriers” for helicopters which take off and land on them.

Iran’s missile capabilities and its ongoing development program has been a major source of tension with the West, particularly with the United States. US President Donald Trump, who pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and world powers in May, has called for a new agreement that restricts Iran’s missile capabilities and regional interventions.

Last month, the Trump administration began reinstating economic sanctions against Iran that were eased in exchange for concessions on Iran’s nuclear program in the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The UK, France, Russia, China, Germany, and the European Union, which also signed the deal, have criticized Trump’s decision and continue to back the agreement with Iran.

Also last month, Tehran unveiled a next-generation short-range ballistic Fateh missile, and vowed to further boost its capabilities.

The new missile’s range was not given, but previous versions of the Fateh had a range of around 200 to 300 kilometers (125-185 miles), according to the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

In this picture released by the official website of the Iranian Defense Ministry on Aug. 13, 2018, Defense Minister Gen. Amir Hatami walks past the missile Fateh-e Mobin, or Bright Conqueror, during inauguration of its production line at an undisclosed location, Iran (Iranian Defense Ministry via AP)

“As promised to our dear people, we will not spare any effort to increase the missile capabilities of the country and we will certainly increase our missile power every day,” Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami said at the time.

Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealedwhat he said were precision missile sites hidden in Beirut by Iranian-proxy and Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Netanyahu also revealed what he said was a previously unknown Iranian nuclear site, saying it could contain up to 300 tons of nuclear material. He accused the International Atomic Energy Agency of failing to investigate findings that he presented earlier this year about Iran’s nuclear program.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the General Assembly at the United Nations in New York September 27, 2018. (AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY)

In his speech before world leaders, Netanyahu said that “in Lebanon, Iran is directing Hezbollah to build secret sites to convert inaccurate projectiles into precision guided missiles, missiles that can target deep inside Israel within an accuracy of ten meters.”

“Hezbollah is deliberately using the innocent people of Beirut as human shields. They have placed three of these missile conversion sites alongside Beirut’s international airport,” he added.

Reasserting longstanding  Israeli policy, he promised: “Israel will do whatever it must do to defend itself against Iran’s aggression.”

To that end, he said, “We will continue to act against you in Syria, we will act against you in Lebanon, we will act against you in Iraq, we will act against you whenever and wherever we must act to defend our state and to defend our people.”

Iran on Saturday said it expected the European Union to establish a legal framework by November 4 to bypass American sanctions and to allow the continuation of trade between Tehran and EU member states.

The European Union said Monday its members would set up a payment system to allow oil companies and businesses to continue trading with Iran, in a bid to evade sanctions after the US withdrew from a historic nuclear agreement signed in 2015.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with the official IRNA news agency that “the mechanisms initiated by Europe should begin at the most by November 4,” according to Hadashot TV.

November 4 is the date on which US sanctions against its vital oil industry are set to begin.

After high-level talks at the United Nations among the remaining members of the nuclear accord, Iran and the European Union announced their defiance towards US President Donald Trump’s administration, saying in a statement that they were determined “to protect the freedom of their economic operators to pursue legitimate business with Iran.”

Hassan Rouhani President of the Islamic Republic of Iran arrives to speak to the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit September 24, 2018, a day before the start of the General Debate of the 73rd session of the General Assembly at the United Nations in New York. AFP/ Don EMMERT)

With the United States and the dollar dominating so much of global trade, the statement said the new mechanism would “facilitate payments related to Iran’s exports (including oil) and imports, which will assist and reassure economic operators pursuing legitimate business with Iran.”

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, speaking at the United Nations alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, said the countries were still working out the technical details.

“In practical terms, this will mean that EU member states will set up a legal entity to facilitate legitimate financial transactions with Iran and this will allow European companies to continue to trade with Iran in accordance with European Union law and could be open to other partners in the world,” she told reporters.

She said that the remaining members of the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — Britain, China, France, Germany, and Russia — would also maintain their commitments to support Iran on civilian nuclear energy.

“The participants recalled that these initiatives are aimed at preserving the JCPOA, which is in the international interest,” she said.

During a briefing with Iranian reporters in New York on Friday, Zarif said of the preservation of the JCPOA that the Iranians “are seeing that [the European powers] are taking steps to implement it.”

Zarif added that “the most important step taken so far is creating the Special-Purpose Vehicle,” a mechanism allowing trade between European countries and Iran. “Many central banks in Europe are members of it.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif addresses a meeting to promote the elimination of nuclear weapons, during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday September 26, 2018 at UN headquarters (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Zarif said that these steps illustrate Europe won’t let the US dictate policy for them.

In line with findings of UN inspectors, Mogherini reiterated that Iran has been in compliance with the nuclear agreement — under which Tehran drastically scaled back its nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions.

The agreement was sealed in 2015 in a signature achievement for then US president Barack Obama.

Trump pulled out of the agreement in May, describing it as a “disaster” and quickly moving to reimpose sanctions on Iran.

Despite the protests of the European Union, a number of businesses including French energy giant Total and carmakers Peugeot and Renault as well as Germany’s Siemens and Daimler have already suspended operations in Iran for fear of triggering US sanctions.

With Iran’s economy already feeling the pinch, US national security adviser John Bolton vowed this week to impose “maximum pressure” on Tehran, while insisting that Washington was not pushing for regime change.

US Arab allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as well as Israel have long pushed for Washington to work to curtail Iran’s influence in the Middle East, including in war-torn Syria and its support for the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.

AP and AFP contributed to this report.

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s state TV has broadcast footage purporting to show a close encounter between the Revolutionary Guard’s navy and the USS Theodore Roosevelt early this year.

Press TV’s website said the encounter occurred March 21 in the strategic Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, the passageway for nearly a third of all oil traded by sea.

The TV agency said the video was aired Saturday as part of a documentary.

The footage is likely meant as a show of strength amid new US sanctions on Iran and the Trump administration plans to bring Iranian oil exports down to zero.

In the video, Guard speedboats are seen closing in on the US carrier.

Iranian sailors then warn the Americans over radio communication to “keep well clear” of the Guard patrol boats and say they advise the Americans to “refrain from the threat or use of force in any manner.”

There was no immediate comment from the US Navy.

Iranian harassment of US ships in the Gulf was a regular occurrence, but according to the US Navy, the practice declined sharply after the election of US President Donald Trump in 2016 and had totally stopped by 2018.

Administration officials have touted the drop in confrontations as proof that Washington’s hard line toward the regime brought about a change in behavior.

A senior Israeli official said that Russia’s decision to provide advanced anti-aircraft systems to Syria posed a serious challenge for the Jewish state, but added that Israel was working on ways to prevent the development from becoming a major threat to the country’s security.

“The S-300 is a complex challenge for the State of Israel. We are dealing with the [decision] in different ways, not necessarily by preventing shipment [of the anti-aircraft system],” the official said.

The official added that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin understands that while Moscow “made a move, the playing field is very large,” indicating that Israel reserved the right to protect itself and that it had the support of the United States.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday criticized Russia’s decision to supply Syria with the defense system as “irresponsible,” but said Israel was committed to continued deconfliction with Moscow in its military operations in the region.

Speaking to CNN in New York after the annual UN General Assembly, Netanyahu said that he spoke to Putin earlier this month after Syrian forces responding to an Israeli airstrike mistakenly shot down a Russian military reconnaissance plane, killing all 15 people on board.

Netanyahu said he told Putin, “Let’s continue this deconfliction, but at the same time, I told him very respectfully and very clearly that Israel will do, will continue to do what it has to do to defend itself.”

He said both sides wanted to avoid a military clash in Syria, noting that the many militaries and other groups operating in the region were making it “very crowded over there in this tiny space.

“Through this mess, we’ve been able for three years to avoid any clash between … between Russian and Israeli forces,” he said. “I think there’s a desire on both our part and Russia’s part to…. avoid a clash.”

On Friday, Russia began supplying the S-300 air-defense system to Syria despite Israeli protests.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced the deliveries had started during a UN press conference. He said the anti-aircraft system “will be devoted to ensure 100 percent safety and security of our men in Syria.”

Lavrov’s announcement came in the wake of the downing of the Russian plane.

The Russian defense ministry also announced it would begin jamming radars of military planes striking targets in Syria from off the coast of the Mediterranean.

Russian electronic warfare equipment intended to disrupt airstrikes has already arrived in Syria, according to Russian media reports. According to the Moscow-based Izvestia daily newspaper, the electronic warfare equipment arrived at Hmeimim Air Base near Latakia on Monday, aboard Il-76 transport aircraft. Without detailing exactly what was sent, the sources noted that the systems were intended to disrupt airborne radar, aircraft communication and controls, and satellite navigation systems used in attack jets, drones, and guided munitions.

Both Israel and the United States have protested the decision to supply Syria with the S-300, which could complicate ongoing Israeli efforts to prevent Iran deepening its military presence in Syria and to thwart the transfer of weapons in Syria to Hezbollah.

Israel has vowed to continue its operations. On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this week, Netanyahu said after meeting US President Donald Trump that the US president gave him various unspecified guarantees regarding Israel’s freedom of operation in Syria. “I received what I asked for. I came with specific points and I got them,” he told reporters.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes against Syrian and Iranian targets in Syria over the last several years, with fighter jets going nearly unchallenged by the country’s air defenses — though an F-16 was downed by a Syrian anti-aircraft missile in February in what the IDF later said was the result of a professional error by the pilots.

Jerusalem has vowed to prevent Lebanon-based Hezbollah or Iranian proxy militias in Syria from obtaining advance weapons that could threaten the Jewish state and has worked to keep Iran from gaining a foothold in Syria that can be used to attack Israel.

Russia, which is a main backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad, has maintained a deconfliction hotline with Israel, allowing the Jewish state to carry out the attacks as long as it was informed beforehand.

The future of that program has been uncertain since the September 17 incident, which occurred as four Israeli fighter jets conducted an airstrike on the weapons warehouse near the coastal city of Latakia, which the IDF said was intended to provide weapons to the Hezbollah terror group and other Iranian proxies.

The remains of a Syrian ammunition warehouse which was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike on a base in Latakia, September 18, 2018. (ImageSat International (ISI/Ynet)

Moscow has accused Israel of using the IL-20 spy plane as a shield after the attack, rejecting Israel’s claims that poorly trained Syrian air defense operators are to blame for the deaths of 15 Russian servicemen aboard the aircraft.

Israel denies this charge, and insists it also notified the Russians 12 minutes before the attack — while Moscow has said it was given only a minute’s notice.

Earlier this year Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman downplayed Israeli concerns over Russia’s purported plans to install the system in Syria.

“One thing needs to be clear: If someone shoots at our planes, we will destroy them. It doesn’t matter if it’s an S-300 or an S-700,” he said.