Iran’s Navy reportedly reached a new milestone this week as it crossed into the Atlantic Ocean for the first time in its history.
“The Iranian ships, the frigate Sahand and the base ship Makran, reached the south Atlantic on Thursday, likely en route to Venezuela, which has increasingly become an economic and military partner of Tehran,” The Independent reported. “Iran has friendly relations with Cuba, where the ships could make a port call.”
“The 77th strategic naval fleet of the Navy, comprising of the ‘Sahand’ destroyer and the ‘Makran’ ship, is present in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time to demonstrate the capabilities of Iran in the maritime arena,” Iran’s deputy army commander, Admiral Habibullah Sayyari said. “Navigating in international waters is a legitimate right of the Iranian army’s strategic navy, and we will continue this path with full force and power. The fleet continues on its longest naval mission to the North Atlantic.”
Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) called on Democrat President Joe Biden to act by “forcefully” confronting Iran.
“Iran’s largest military vessel & most modern missile destroyer are days away from delivering missiles & attack boats to the Maduro Regime & conducting exercises off our coast,” Rubio wrote on Twitter. “Biden shouldn’t allow desperation to salvage the Iran deal to keep him from confronting this forcefully.”
The move comes as Biden’s administration lifted sanctions on Iran this week so that the nation, which is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, could have access to funds so it could pay money it owed to the United Nations, which then allowed it to regain its vote in the international organization.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R) slammed the move, saying that the Biden administration received nothing in return.
“So Biden is lifting sanctions on Iran in exchange for…nothing,” Cruz wrote on Twitter. “Just the Dems like the Ayatollah, I guess. Charming guy. What’s a little ‘Death to America’ between friends?”
News broke late this week that Russia plans to supply Iran with an “advanced satellite system” that would be a “significant boost” Iran’s military capabilities as it would allow them to track targets throughout “the Middle East and beyond.”
The Washington Post reported:
The plan would deliver to the Iranians a Russian-made Kanopus-V satellite equipped with a high-resolution camera that would greatly enhance Iran’s spying capabilities, allowing continuous monitoring of facilities ranging from Persian Gulf oil refineries and Israeli military bases to Iraqi barracks that house U.S. troops, the officials said. The launch could happen within months, they said.
While the Kanopus-V is marketed for civilian use, Iranian military officials have been heavily involved in the acquisition, and leaders of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have made multiple trips to Russia since 2018 to help negotiate the terms of the agreement, the officials said. As recently as this spring, Russian experts traveled to Iran to help train ground crews that would operate the satellite from a newly built facility near the northern city of Karaj, the officials said.
Omri Ceren, National Security Adviser for Cruz, called out the Biden administration, writing on Twitter: “Executive Order 13949 – which Pres. Biden hasn’t gotten around to revoking, so it’s still on the books – imposes sanctions on entities that transfer ‘for the use in or benefit of Iran, of arms or related materiel, including spare parts.’ Is the admin just not going to enforce it?”