Iran's 'Younus'
Report: Iran designing nuclear submarine
Tehran's semiofficial news agency quotes high-ranking naval official as saying country has launched project's 'initial stages'
Iran has begun to design its first nuclear submarine, the Islamic Republic's semiofficial news agency Fars reported on Tuesday.
The Fars report quotes deputy navy chief in charge of technical affairs, Rear Admiral Abbas Zamini, as saying that Iran has begun "initial stages" of designing the nuclear-powered craft.
Related stories:
- Iran cracks down on web censor-beating software
- Iran denies reports of demolitions in base
- US sees 'apparent clean-up' at Iran site
Zamini added that Iran has developed "peaceful nuclear technology" and has both the capability and the right to build a submarine.
Iran and the West are odds over Tehran's nuclear program. The United States suspects it is aimed at developing weapons technology, a charge Iran denies.
Iran's 'Younus' (Photo: Reuters)
Iran has domestically built several small submarines over the past years. It has recently overhauled one of the three non-nuclear Russian Kilo-class submarines it bought in 1990s.
The Fars report further added that Tehran's plan will express its "high capabilities in designing and manufacturing different types of submarines."
Further commenting on the Iranian Navy's plan to manufacture super heavy nuclear-powered submarines, Zamini said: "Right now, we are at the initial phases of manufacturing atomic submarines… Iran has made astonishing progress in developing and acquiring civilian nuclear technology for various power-generation, agricultural and medical purposes."
In 2011, Iran launched a Tareq-class submarine, "Younus," which sailed alongside Tehran's 14th fleet of into the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
AP contributed to this report
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop
