Iranian Military Official Emphasizes Need for Naval Bases in Syria and Yemen

Mohammad Baqeri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, stated early Saturday that "we need bases in distant places," expressing the Islamic Republic's desire to establish a naval base on the coasts of Yemen and Syria. According to Fars News Agency, he made this statement on Saturday, December 6, at a gathering of Iranian naval commanders held at the Navy Headquarters. General Baqeri explained that "significant actions have been taken regarding presence in distant seas and combating piracy," stating: "We need a specific fleet for the Indian Ocean, similar to the Oman fleet. We need bases in distant places, and perhaps at some point, it will be possible to have bases on the coasts of Yemen or Syria, or bases on islands or in a floating form." He emphasized that "this issue needs to be considered," asking: "Is having a base in distant places less than nuclear technology? I say it is dozens of times more important." The deployment of Iranian naval groups to distant waters began in response to the increase in piracy in the Gulf of Aden and waters near Somalia, and in this context, the Iranian Navy has sent dozens of naval groups to these waters over the past years. Iran, which is accused of supporting the Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen, has repeatedly sent warships towards the port of Aden in Yemen, which has raised significant sensitivities in the region. Previously, international media reported that nine Iranian warships suspected of carrying weapons for the Houthi rebels in Yemen returned to Iran after the presence of the U.S. Navy fleet led by the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the waters around Yemen. Meanwhile, in Esfand 1389 (March 2011), for the first time since the 1979 revolution, two Iranian naval vessels, including the destroyer Alvand and the logistics ship Khark, passed through the Suez Canal and docked at the port of Latakia in Syria. Israel described this action by Iran as "provocative," stating that it is concerned about the Islamic Republic's plans to deploy its warships in the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden. In recent months, Russia, a strategic ally of Iran in supporting the Syrian government, has established a naval base in Tartus and an airbase in Latakia; Tartus and Latakia are two main port cities in Syria along the Mediterranean coast. This action, along with the deployment of Russian S-300 defense systems at the naval base in Tartus, has raised concerns for Israel, Turkey, and some other countries. Northwest Syria, which includes the regions of Latakia and Tartus, is a major Alawite stronghold loyal to Bashar al-Assad's government, and both Russia and Iran consider maintaining influence in this area important for their strategic goals. The emphasis by Mohammad Baqeri, the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, on expanding the naval influence of the Islamic Republic comes at a time when he also reported severe budget shortages for the armed forces. He stated: "The country is caught in sanctions and oil sales and receiving oil money, and after the JCPOA, while oil sales sanctions were somewhat lifted, the money from oil sales did not return to the country." The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces said: "The officials' understanding was that since last February, the money from oil sales would easily come to the country, but this did not happen, and despite more than half of last year passing, the money that the government has allocated is only 20% of this year's armed forces programs." Mohammad Baqeri also added: "We have no parity with the imperialist enemy in the maritime domain; therefore, classical methods are not sufficient, and we must practice other methods that must remain hidden so that a naval commander can perform best in the battlefield."