01 December 2018•Update: 01 December 2018
By Ahmet Dursun
ANKARA
Iran has launched a domestically-manufactured warship equipped with an advanced missile system into the Persian Gulf, state media reported.
The 96-meter long Sahand destroyer took its maiden voyage after an official ceremony on Saturday, the official IRNA news agency reported.
The stealth battleship is designed based on domestic technologies as upgraded torpedo launchers, anti-aircraft, anti-surface guns, surface-to-surface, air-to-surface missile system, anti-submarine system, increased operational range, high maneuverability, and electronic systems.
Iranian media said Sahan surpassed Jamaran, an indigenous battleship which the Islamic Republic had launched in 2010, with its more powerful engines and in carrying out maneuvers.
Saturday’s warship launch comes amid tension between Tehran and Washington after the U.S. re-imposed sanctions on Iran after it unilaterally withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal signed between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany).
The 2015 deal places strict restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in sanctions relief.
