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Despite its efforts over the last several years, Iran is not yet the naval power it hopes to become, according to a Moscow analyst, but Tehran already has sufficient capacity to disrupt shipments of oil in the Persian Gulf, an ability that already “represents a serious danger and requires an adequate response from the international community.” In an assessment of “The Naval Power of Iran: From Intention to Reality” prepared for the Moscow Near Eastern Institute, V.V. Yevseyev argues that most of what Iran has done in this sector to date represents “a cover” for plans to engage in “diversionary...

The Secret History Part I: The C-802 Cruise Missile: Iran’s Threat in the Persian Gulf 05 March 2010 Written by Joseph Trento Scores are still being settled from the Iran Iraq War in the 1980s. It is no wonder. If anyone has any doubt about Iran’s ruthless use of all its human resources at the Mullahs’ disposal, let me describe for you what I witnessed on the marshes in the swamps along the Shatt Al Arab near Al Qurna, Iraq, in February 1984 when CNN sent me to cover the Iran Iraq War. As I approached the front on an...

Hamas has submitted a request for a Chinese-origin cruise missile deployed by another Iranian proxy, Hizbullah. Israeli military sources asserted that Hamas was seeking to acquire the Chinese-origin C-802 anti-ship missile from Iran. The sources said Hamas has determined that the C-802 would comprise a deterrent against Israel Navy operations along the Gaza coast. "Hamas believes that the Israel Navy would significantly reduce its presence [because of the C-802] and operate farther away from the Gaza coast," a military source said. The sources said Hamas has been briefed by Hizbullah on the C-802. Hizbullah, aided by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard...

Indonesia has been buying Chinese C802A anti-ship missiles. The C802A is a 6.8m (21 foot) long, 360mm, 682kg (1,500 pound) missile, with a 165kg (360 pound) warhead. The C802 has a max range of 120 kilometers, and moves along at about 250 meters a second. The French Exocet missile is the same size and performance, but costs twice as much (over a million dollars each, but the manufacturer is known to be flexible on pricing.) The Indonesians see the Chinese missiles as a much better deal, especially since Indonesia is not looking to start a war anytime soon. So why...

The United States blocked an Iranian cargo plane's flight to Syria last month after intelligence analysts concluded it was carrying sophisticated missiles and launchers to resupply Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, two U.S. intelligence officials say. (Related: How the U.S. found the missiles) Eight days after Hezbollah's war with Israel began, U.S. diplomats persuaded Turkey and Iraq to deny the plane permission to cross their territory to Damascus, a transfer point for arms to Hezbollah, the officials said. The episode was detailed by one U.S. intelligence official who saw a report on the incident. It was confirmed by a U.S. official...

SENATE RESOLUTION 82--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE TO URGE THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION RELATIVE TO C-802 CRUISE MISSILES (Senate - May 05, 1997) [Page: S3968] Mr. BENNETT (for himself, Mr. D'Amato, Mr. Helms, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Ashcroft, Mrs. Hutchison, and Mr. Brownback) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations: S. Res. 82 Whereas the United States escort vessel U.S.S. Stark was struck by a cruise missile , causing the death of 37 United States sailors; Whereas the China National Precision Machinery Import Export Corporation is marketing the C-802 model cruise missile for use against...

Per http://www.sweetness-light.com/ Excerpt: Lest we forget, our good friends in China sold C-802 missiles to Iran in 1996 and subsequently. The Clinton administration announced they wouldn’t call for sanctions, since they didn’t see this as a destabilizing action on the part of China and Iran: Testifying in April, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Robert Einhorn said the law "does provide for a substantial list of actions" against anyone providing Iran or Iraq with destabilizing numbers or types of conventional weapons, or assisting them in the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction. The administration has maintained since March 1996 that China’s...

On July 14th the IDF's best anti-air defense vessel was mission killed by a strike from shore off the Beruit, Lebannon coast. It appears that the vessel was hit by a guided missile, launched either by Iranian trained Hezbollah, or by Iranian Guards themselves operating out of Lebannon. Land-launched Chinese anti-shipping missile, C-802 The missile was apparently a Chinese-made C-802 which is a sub sonic surface to surface anti-shipping missile. The Iranians have purchased a lot of these from China, and is working with N. Korea to improve the design. The missile is capable of a sea-skimming approach, and reportedly...

A missile fired by Hezbollah, not an unmanned drone laden with explosives, damaged an Israeli warship off Lebanon, the army said Saturday. Elite Iranian troops helped fire the missile... One sailor was killed and three were missing. The intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information, said about 100 Iranian soldiers are in Lebanon and helped fire the Iranian-made, radar-guided C-102 at the ship late Friday. The official added that the troops involved in firing the missile are from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, an elite corps of more than 200,000 fighters that...

12 January 2000 According to the Times (London), North Korea agrees to supply technology and equipment to aid Iran in upgrading the C802 anti-shipping and cruise missiles it purchased from China in the early 1990s and deployed on French and Chinese-built missile boats in the Persian Gulf and in coastal batteries. China has promised the United States several times to stop deliveries of the C802 to Iran, but U.S. intelligence reports last year documented deliveries by China far in excess of what has publicly been reported. The C802s were assembled in Iran under a co-producing agreement signed with Communist China,...

A senior IDF officer said the ship was struck by an Iranian-made C802 missile, but he refused to say whether or not Iranian activists were behind the launching itself. The army said two C802 missiles were fired at the vessel; the first missed the ship and struck an Egyptian boat some 60 kilometers (37 miles) off the Lebanon coast. The stern of the ship was hit shortly after 8:30 p.m. Friday night and a conflagration ignited on the helicopter landing pad. The hit also damaged the ship’s internal operating systems.

Hizballah Brings out Iranian Silkworm to Hit Israel Navy Corvette DEBKAfile Exclusive Military Analysis July 15, 2006, 1:37 PM (GMT+02:00) The disaster that overtook one of the Israeli Navy’s state of the art warships, Ahi-Hanit, was thoroughly planned in advance by an enemy which managed to take Israel’s military commanders by surprise. It has shocked Israel’s military to a degree comparable to the profound effect on US forces of al Qaeda’s 2000 attack on the USS Cole in Aden. The Saar-5 class corvette, with a crew of 61 seamen and a 10-man helicopter crew, was hit Friday, July 17 at...