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IRAN has unveiled two new stealth warships dubbed “Cybertrucks” set to be deployed to the tense waters of the Red Sea.
The 600-ton beasts are bristling with cruise and anti-ship missiles and “ready” to cause further havoc in the region where Iran’s proxy is waging war against commercial shipping.
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TwitterThe Iranian navy has revealed two new Soleimani-class corvettes – named after the assassinated former chief of Iran’s terrorist wing, the Islamist Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), General Qasem Soleimani.
The Martyr Sayyad Shirazi and Martyr Hassan Bagheri have been paraded by Iran as “world-class” and “designed and produced inside Islamic Iran” despite international sanctions, Sputnik reports.
The 65m-long warships can travel at 45 knots (52mph) and are capable of striking targets over 700km away.
The fearsome pair are armed to the nines with missile and air defence systems including Iran’s new Navvab vertical launch system for missiles, four 20 mm triple-barreled Gatling guns, a 30 mm autocannon, 16 Sayyad-series SAMs, and six Abu-Mahdi naval cruise missiles.
The ships also carry a combat helicopter and three attack boats.
Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri told state TV today on Monday that the warships intend to spread a “message of peace”.
However, the commander chillingly warned: “But if ill-wishers sought to create a problem, the vessel would bear the message of readiness in the face of the enemies.
“We enjoy complete readiness, and should be constantly ready. In the same context, the drills that we hold in the region is indicative of our readiness.”
Together, they are headed towards the Red Sea, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels have for months been terrorising cargo ships with waves of drone and missile strikes.
Iran began experimenting with stealth-oriented, twin-hull designs in 2016.
Observers argue it suggests the pariah state is looking to move beyond its speedboat-dominated coastal defence strategy and onto a genuine naval power.
Armed Forces Deputy Chief of Staff Aziz Nasirzadeh said on Sunday that Iran intends to develop the nation’s “regional and extra-regional power in the seas toward the Indian Ocean.”
It comes as the crew of a UK-registered merchant vessel were forced to abandon their ship after a double Houthi missile strike left it sinking in the treacherous Bab el-Mandeb strait.
The attack on the 170m-long Rubymar was by far the most damaging since Oct 23, when Houthi rebels ramped up their attacks in response to the Israel-Gaza war.
The US has also just announced the Red Sea is also facing a new deadly threat from underwater drones.
The Houthi rebels have deployed an “unmanned underwater vehicle” for the first time, America’s CentCom headquarters revealed.
The US did not release details of the underwater drone it destroyed.
But pictures of the parts seized on the smuggler’s boat on Jan 28 showed what looked like a torpedo propeller.
It could be the similar model to what Iran unveiled in December – a new devastating and secretive homegrown submarine drone which can go as deep as 200m.
Iran’s new toy acts like a torpedo by moving stealthily towards its target and exploding.
Earlier, the US Red Sea task force said it destroyed a mini-submarine, a surface maritime drone and three anti-ship cruise missiles over the weekend.
All five weapons posed an imminent threat to US warships and merchant vessels in the region, CentCom added.
It comes as pictures emerged allegedly showing the debris of a US drone after it was shot down by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.
The militia group allegedly downed the MQ9 in the port city of Hodeidah, according to Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea.
Alleged debris of the US drone dragged through the water by rebelsWho are the Houthis?
THE Houthi rebels are terrorising the Red Sea by launching persistent missile and drone attacks on vessels and warships - but who are they?
The Shia militant group, which now controls most of Yemen, spent over a decade being largely ignored by the world as Iran funnelled weapons and money to them.
However, since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war they sprung from relative obscurity to holding roughly £1trillion of world trade hostage – turning one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes into an active warzone.
Their warped slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel, curse the Jews and victory to Islam”.
Why are they attacking ships?
The rebel group has been launching relentless drone and missile attacks on any ships – including warships – they deem to be connected with Israel in solidarity with their ally, Hamas.
However, in reality there have been frequent attacks on commercial vessels with little or no link to Israel – forcing global sea traffic to halt operations in the region and sending shipping prices soaring.
The sea assaults have threatened to ignite a full-blown war in the Middle East as intense ripples from Israel’s war in Gaza are felt across the region – with Iran suspected of stoking the chaos.
Houthi attacks in the Red Sea increased 50 per cent between November and December as the rebel group’s chiefs pledged their assaults would continue until Israel stopped its offensive in Gaza.
And despite repeated threats from the West and joint US and UK strikes blitzing their strongholds in Yemen – Iran’s terror proxy appears undeterred.
Iran’s homegrown new marine drones may have been used by the Houthi rebels in the attack
English (US)