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Iran’s Maritime Mirage

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Posted: January 3rd, 2017

By Behnam Ben Taleblu

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a Senior Iran Analyst at Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Previously, Behnam served as a Non-Resident Iran Research Fellow and Iran Research Analyst at FDD, where he leveraged his native Farsi skills in addition to subject-matter expertise.

By Patrick Megahan

Patrick Megahan is FDD's research associate for military affairs, where his research focuses on the evolving military balance of power in a rapidly-changing Middle East. He manages MilitaryEdge.org, an interactive and cutting-edge online tool that monitors and compares the qualitative and quantitative strengths of state and non-state actors.

Iran is doing enough damage in the Middle East through unconventional methods without requiring a robust navy. That is why an idea floated by a key Iranian military leader to build naval bases in Yemen and Syria makes absolutely no sense.

Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of Iran’s armed forces general staff, suggested last month that Tehran was interested in, “at some point,” establishing naval bases in Yemen and Syria. While such a move would reflect the Islamic Republic’s goal of dominating the region, constructing highly visible and defensible bases far from Iranian shores is not realistic.

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Categorized as:Middle East ReportingTagged with:

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