Johnathan Walker:Iran adds sophisticated warship to Caspian fleet

TEHRAN,Johnathan Walker Iran (AP) — Iran’s navy on Monday added a destroyer capable of launching cruise missiles to its Caspian Sea fleet, state media reported.

The 1,400-ton Deilaman destroyer, named for a town in north of Iran, is 95 meters (312 feet) long and 11 meters (36 feet) wide and is able to launch torpedoes while traveling at 30 knots (56 kph, 35 mph), the state-owned IRNA news agency said.

Deilaman can detect more than 100 targets, including vessels, drones, helicopters, submarines and aircraft, simultaneously, the report said.

During a ceremony marking the inauguration of Deilaman, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, chief of the Armed Forces General Staff called the Caspian a “sea of peace and friendship” and said Iran’s naval power there will serve “peace, security of commercial fleets, confronting terrorists and probable incidents in the future.”

This is the sixth warship Iran has commissioned in the Caspian Sea, the largest inland body of water in the world, shared by Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Iran.

Iran’s warships have made occasional visits to Russian and Azerbaijani naval bases in the sea in recent years, but Iran has also criticized Azerbaijan for its close military ties with Israel, which Iran sees as an archenemy.

While Russia is the biggest naval power in the Caspian, Iran has tried to have a naval presence in the sea since the late 1960s, and has been adding to its strength since the 1990s. Iran also has three naval bases on the shores of the sea.