TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran will target American aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf should a war between
the two countries ever break out, the naval chief of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard warned Tuesday
as the country completes work on a large-scale mock-up of a U.S. carrier.
The remarks by Adm. Ali Fadavi, who heads the hard-line Guard’s naval forces, were a marked contrast to
moderate President Hassan Rouhani’s recent outreach policies toward the West — a reminder of the
competing viewpoints that exist at the highest levels within the Islamic Republic.
Iran is building a simple replica of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in a shipyard in the southern port
of Bandar Abbas in order to be used in future military exercises, an Iranian newspaper confirmed last
month.
Fadavi was quoted Tuesday by the semi-official Fars news agency as saying the big size of the U.S.
carriers makes them an “easy target.” He said contingency plans to target American carriers are a
priority for the Guard’s navy.
“Aircraft carriers are the symbol of America’s military might,” he said. “The carriers are responsible
for supplying America’s air power. So, it’s natural that we want to sink the carriers.”
The Revolutionary Guard’s naval forces are separate from the main Iranian navy. They are primarily based
in and around the Gulf and include a number of missile boats and fast-attack vessels.
The commander said the Guard navy has already carried out exercises targeting mock-ups of American
warships. In one case, he said, it took 50 seconds to destroy one of the simulated warships.
Tasnim, another semi-official news agency close to the Guard, reported that “an investigation” has found
that the Nimitz-class carriers used by the U.S. could be seriously damaged or destroyed if 24 missiles
were fired simultaneously.
An American Navy official in the Gulf was dismissive of the Iranian claims, and of the simulated carrier
in particular.
“Whatever Iran hopes to do with the mock up, it is likely to have zero impact on U.S. Navy operations in
the Gulf,” said Cmdr. Jason Salata, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, which is based across the
Gulf in the nation of Bahrain.
“Firing weapons at a stationary structure floating on pontoons is not a realistic representation of
having the capability to target a 100,000-ton warship … maneuvering at speeds in excess of 30 knots,”
he said.
Iran’s military leaders believe future wars will be air- and sea-based. Tehran has sought to upgrade its
missile and air defense systems, as well as its naval forces in anticipation of such a possibility.
Fadavi, however, said the Guard’s navy is in “daily” contact with passing American warships in the
Persian Gulf. American naval forces in the region have said they routinely monitor Iranian naval
operations and are in regular contact with them.
“At the Guard Navy Command Control Center, we talk to Americans on a daily basis. This has been going on
for years,” Fadavi said.
Fadavi said Americans have formally demanded a hotline to contact Iranians in case of emergency but the
Guard has turned down the request.
“Nothing (bad) will happen if they leave (the region),” he said.