Business Insider: The Drone Carrier 'Shahid Baqeri' Has Left Its Dock for the First Time

The news website 'Business Insider' reported on Thursday, based on satellite images, that the drone carrier 'Shahid Baqeri' has left its dock on the southern shores of Iran for the first time. According to this American news website, images obtained by the technology company 'BlackSky' show that the vessel was at the 'Iran Shipbuilding and Offshore Industries Complex' along the Persian Gulf on November 13. However, another satellite image from December 29 indicates that the 'Shahid Baqeri' was no longer present at the complex located west of Bandar Abbas. Farzin Nadimi, a senior researcher at the Washington Institute, told 'Business Insider' that the conversion of the container ship 'Shahid Baqeri' for military purposes reflects the Iranian government's efforts to display power in regional waters. The container ship 'Shahid Baqeri' was previously named 'Porarin,' and the Iranian government began plans to convert it into a drone carrier for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in 2021. It is still unclear what types of drones will be placed on this drone carrier. According to 'Business Insider,' the 'Shahid Baqeri' may be used to carry a combination of suicide drones, reconnaissance drones, and attack drones after their operations are completed. The 'Shahid Baqeri' is not the only container ship that the Islamic Republic has converted into a military vessel. Last year, the IRGC converted the ship 'Sarvin' into 'Shahid Mahdavi.' The 'Shahid Mahdavi' can carry helicopters, drones, special forces units, and missiles. This ship traveled to the Indian Ocean for a week earlier this year and passed near the U.S. military base 'Diego Garcia.' According to Farzin Nadimi, these two vessels should be regarded as threats not only to maritime communication lines and freedom of navigation but also to coastal and domestic facilities and infrastructures. In the years leading up to the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel, the waters of the Middle East witnessed increasing tensions, and the Iranian government has repeatedly engaged in the hijacking or attacking of foreign ships. Following this terrorist attack, the Houthi forces, supported by the Islamic Republic, have carried out multiple missile and drone attacks against vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in solidarity with Hamas, another proxy group of the Islamic Republic. The destruction of seven 'Houthi' missiles and drones targeting Americans continues the destabilizing actions of the Islamic Republic in the region; the IRGC fired missiles from 'on a vessel.' The IRGC is attempting to increase its presence in international waters by constructing a large vessel. Britain has sanctioned 'Iran Air' and the shipping of the Islamic Republic. The European Union has sanctioned the shipping of the Islamic Republic. The U.S. Navy successfully countered Houthi attacks on two warships.