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TEHRAN — Iran kicked off mass production of two high-speed
missile-launching assault boats on Monday, warning its enemies not to
"play with fire" as it boosts security along its coastline. The
inauguration of the production lines for the Seraj and Zolfaqar
speedboats comes a day after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveiled
Iran's home-built bomber drone, which he said would deliver "death" to
Iran's enemies. State news agency IRNA reported that Seraj (Lamp)
and Zolfaqar (named after Shiite Imam Ali's sword) speedboats would be
manufactured at the marine industries complex of the ministry of
defence. Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi opened the assembly lines,
saying the vessels would help strengthen Iran's defence forces, IRNA
said. "Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran is relying on a great
defence industry and the powerful forces of Sepah (Revolutionary Guards)
and the army, with their utmost strength, can provide security to the
Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and Strait of Hormuz," Vahidi said. He
issued a stern warning to Iran's foes. "The enemy must be careful
of its adventurous behaviour and not play with fire because the Islamic
Republic of Iran's response would be unpredictable," IRNA quoted him as
saying. "If enemies attack Iran, the Islamic Republic of Iran's
reaction will not be restricted to one area. The truth of our defence
doctrine is that we will not attack any country and that we extend our
hand to all legitimate countries." Iran's arch-foes, the United
States and Israel, have not ruled out taking military action over
Tehran's controversial nuclear programme. Iran has in the past
threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, choking off some 40 percent of
tanker-shipped oil worldwide, in the event of a military attack. IRNA
said Zolfaqar was a new generation missile-launching vessel which can
be used for patrol as well as for attack operations. "It is
designed for quick assaults on ships and is equipped with two missile
launchers, two machine guns and a computer system to control the
missiles," the report said. Fars news agency cited Vahidi as
saying that Zolfaqar was to be equipped with the Nasr 1 (Victory) marine
cruise missile "which has high destructive power." Iran has
previously said that the Nasr missile can destroy targets weighing up to
3,000 tonnes. IRNA said Seraj, designed for a tropical climate,
was also a swift assault vessel for use in the Caspian sea, the Gulf and
the Gulf of Oman, adding that it can fire rockets and also be used in
stormy seas. "Seraj is a fast moving assault rocket launcher using
sophisticated and modern technology," Vahidi was cited as saying by
IRNA. The launch of the production lines comes as Iran marks its
annual "government week", a period when it traditionally shows off its
latest technological achievements. The naval commander of Iran's
elite Revolutionary Guards, Ali Fadavi, was quoted by IRNA as saying
that the missile-launching boats are the world's fastest. "The
Iranian-made missile-launching boats rank first in the world when it
comes to their velocity," Fadavi said. Ahmadinejad on Sunday
unveiled a bomber drone with a range of up to 1,000 kilometres (620
miles), which he dubbed the "ambassador of death." State media
said the drone, Karar (Assailant), can carry four stealth cruise
missiles, two bombs of 250 pounds (115 kilos) each or a precision
missile of 500 pounds (230 kilos). Tehran kicked off its week of
military claims on Friday when it fired a surface-to-surface missile,
named Qiam (Rising), with some more announcements expected over the next
few days, likes of test firing a third generation Fateh (Conqueror) 110
missile. Iran recently took delivery of four domestically built
Ghadir mini-submarines, a "stealth" vessel designed to operate in
shallow waters such as the Gulf.
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