Iran claims to add ‘smart submarines’ to its military arsenal

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard has added “smart submarines,” unmanned underwater vehicles, to its navy for the first time, state TV reported on Tuesday.

The Guard’s navy unveiled the vessels, along with new missiles and speedboats, at a ceremony in Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas.

Its new speedboats can travel at up to 95 knots (about 109 mph) and are able to launch missiles and rockets.

The report also said the Guard’s navy was equipped with new maneuverable missiles with an extended range.

Since 1992, Iran has developed a homegrown defense industry that produces light and heavy weapons ranging from mortars and torpedoes to tanks and submarines.

On Sunday, Iran claimed responsibility for a missile barrage that struck near a sprawling US consulate complex in northern Iraq, saying it was retaliation for an Israeli strike in Syria that killed two members of its Revolutionary Guard earlier this week.

No injuries were reported in the attack on the city of Erbil, which marked a significant escalation between the US and Iran. Hostility between the longtime foes has often played out in Iraq, whose government is allied with both countries.