(photo credit: REUTERS/EBRAHIM NOROOZI/IIPA)

It was reported that during a military drill, a C-802 missile was fired towards another Iranian Navy destroyer, striking it and causing extensive damage.

At least one Iranian has been killed and several others injured after an Iranian Naval vessel was reportedly hit by friendly fire during a naval exercise on Sunday. The incident reportedly took place in the waters off of the Jask Port in the Gulf of Oman.

The Iranian Fars News Agency reported that one person had been killed and several others wounded in an “accident” involving a Konarak-style support vessel during a naval exercise on Sunday, adding that the incident was being investigated.

Initial reports from Iran stated that the Konarak frigate was “sunk” by a missile fired by Iran’s Jamaran frigate resulting in a number of Iranian soldiers being killed or missing, according to Radio Farda. Some reports indicated dozens of injuries and deaths, with about 40 military personnel estimated to have been on board at the time.

Some reports indicated that the Konarak vessel had brought a target to the area for a test launch of a cruise missile, but was not completely out of the way before the missile was filed.

The Konarak vessel is considered a light support vessel and can carry dozens of crew, but it is unclear how many personnel were on board. The Jamaran vessel, Iran’s first domestically-built destroyer, has the ability to carry about 120 personnel and is armed with surface-to-air missiles, torpedoes and modern naval cannons, according to Iran’s Press TV. The Jamaran has been armed with the Noor surface-to-surface cruise missile as well.

The Iranian Navy regularly conducts military exercises in the Gulf of Oman. 

In April, US President Donald Trump said he had instructed the US Navy to fire on any Iranian ships that harass it at sea, a week after 11 vessels from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) came dangerously close to American ships in the Persian Gulf.

Soon after, the head of the IRGC Hossein Salami told Iranian state TV that he had “ordered our naval forces to destroy any American terrorist force in the Persian Gulf that threatens security of Iran’s military or non-military ships.”

By TZVI JOFFRE   MAY 11, 2020 08:24

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Tehran, however, has broken confidence by the diffuse reactions of the G7 parties in Biarritz, France even after Islamic Republic foreign minister Zarif turned up unexpected. Islamic Republic and Iraqi officials have stated to the press that discussions currently are being held with regards to Mullahs’ desperate proposal to build a new oil pipeline from Iran to Syria, crossing Iraqi territory. At the same time, Baghdad and Tehran struggle as new on ground export routes.

In short, it seems that two options for the pipeline are on the table: a new 1,000 km pipeline running through Iraq into Syria, or repairs on the Iranian side of the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline, which is an 800 km pipeline. The new pipeline project is slated to target an overall capacity of 1.25 million barrels of oil per day. This project would take around 2 years to be completed. The goal of the official discussions is to find alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz for Iraq and Iran. Washington and its allies, however, will be looking at this in a totally different way.

Tehran will be banking on the support of those European partners, that are trying to keep the JCPOA deal alive. Analysts, however, expect that Washington, most probably backed by the UK, Australia and the main Arab states, will be trying to block and outright prevent the construction of the Iran-Iraq (Syria) pipeline.

The proposal to reopen the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline that runs through Iraq. It would be a crucial element in the creation of an oil supply system to Europe independent of the US, experts say.

Islamic Republic proposed to Iraq a project to reopen the pipeline to the Syrian port of Baniyas, in the Mediterranean Sea, to “circumvent US sanctions and not use the Strait of Hormuz, as there are increasing fears about its closure in case of clashes military between the United States and its allies against Iran,” the Iraqi television channel Al-Sumaria reported.

For a long time, a land hydrocarbons corridor in the Mediterranean region is very important for Iran, says political scientist and professor at the Russian Financial University, Leonid Krutakov said, as quoted by the Russian newspaper Vzglyad.

The expert recalls that the war against Syria began shortly after Iran, Iraq and Syria signed a memorandum on the construction of a gas pipeline from the Iranian South Pars site to Europe in July 2011.

This route would allow Europe to dispense with the liquefied gas promoted by the US in the European market, explains Krutakov.

However, due to the war in Syria, plans to build the pipeline were suspended. Approximately at the same time the perspectives of the Kirkuk-Baniyas route were discussed, but after the deterioration of the situation in Syria and northern Iraq, these negotiations were postponed.

First indicators show that the Trump Administration will be putting all its force on Baghdad to reconsider the deal. Baghdad’s position is precarious, as it needs to navigate between a wide range of political pressure groups, Islamic Republic backed militias, Kurdish politics and its neighbors. At the same time, Baghdad doesn’t want to become a victim of the Islamic Republic-US confrontation, as its main crude oil export route is still the Strait of Hormuz. Walking a very tight rope, Baghdad has still been able not only to expand its oil and gas production, while keeping markets interested to take off the product.

The rising export volumes are met with skepticism, as it is not always clear if volumes are 100% Iraqi crude or mixed with Iranian crude. European and Asian customers have still shown a large interest, but an increased official Iranian involvement in oil volumes transportation in the country could cause a stir. US sanctions on Iraqi operators or government owned entities would for sure put a stop on other deals in the EU or Asia too.

At the same time, the Syria route being addressed by Baghdad and Tehran also will cause some political issues. The Syrian situation has stabilized somewhat, and with Assad in power, Iran, Russia and Hezbollah are desperately trying to reinforce their positions, while Western players are keeping out of the area at present. For Arab countries the situation seems to have changed. After a reestablishing diplomatic ties with Syria, Persian Gulf states and Egypt are considering their options. Iraq has a vast interest, as Syria is a potential market, but also a short route to export Iraqi oil and gas to European markets. Baghdad will for sure get the full backing of Islamic Republic for these adventures, even if it puts the country in the crosshairs of the U.S. Sources also have indicated that the Iraqi approach is not in-line with the interests of the other Arab countries, as they feel circumvented by Baghdad.

A heated confrontation between Baghdad and Washington will spell more pressure for Islamic Republic. Baghdad is currently facing internal unrest, economic crisis and growing external interference. Islamic Republic pressure to block US interests in Iraq already have resulted in attacks and threats by militant groups. At the same time, IRGC power bases in the country are being targeted by Israeli and unknown other adversaries. With the US very blunt political, approach IRGC has lost much of its base support in Iran and developing significant division inside. In addition, sanctions on Islamic Republic and declaring Islamic Republic Guard Corps as a Terrorist Organization have made relations quite thin and distant with neighboring countries. Arab interference is also on the rise, as the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are trying to mitigate Iranian influence, are still struggling opening up economic and military discussions for the future.

Iraq, in the meantime should consider its other export options. The most realistic one is to expand the Iraq-Jordan pipeline volumes. No Arab, Western or even Israeli opposition is to be expected. Whatever decision Iraq makes; it should understand that taking the wrong approach could fuel conflict in the already unstable region.

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Now, he’s preparing for a deployment that could take him back to the region at a time of heightened tensions between the two nations that helped mold him into who he is today.

Capt. Kavon Hakimzadeh took command of the USS Harry S. Truman in July, achieving a goal he set for himself 30 years ago after he first laid eyes on an aircraft carrier in Norfolk. Back then, he was a young sailor who’d joined the Navy straight out of high school to serve a country he had only lived in for about a decade.

His journey from Tehran to enlisted sailor to an officer in command of the ultimate symbol of American seapower is a story that he believes serves as a testament to the opportunities the United States provides.

Hakimzadeh (pronounced Ha-KEEM-za-day) was born in Texas to an American mother and an Iranian father, but moved to Iran when he was still a baby. He fondly remembers his childhood there during the 1970s.

He attended an international school where they spoke Farsi and English, kept the faith of his Southern Baptist mom and had uncles and cousins who lived nearby. At the time, Iran was pro-American and embraced many aspects of Western culture.

It was, as Hakimzadeh says, an “idyllic” childhood.

But that quickly changed during the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

He and his family were forced to flee to America when he was 11, his sister was 9 and his mother was seven-months pregnant. They were rushed onto an airplane as the airport was about to close, destined for a small town near Hattiesburg, Miss. where the son of one of his father’s business partners had agreed to take them in.

He said the weeks leading up to their departure were very much like the opening scenes in the 2012 Ben Affleck film “Argo,” which is based on the true story of the CIA’s efforts to rescue six Americans who were hiding in the Canadian embassy in Iran after the revolution.

“It just happened to be a country in chaos, a country in revolution. And so as an 11-year-old it was a little traumatic to have life as you know it completely change like that,” Hakimzadeh said. “I think it is probably a lot to do with why I decided I wanted to serve and wanted to be in this line of work.”

Hakimzadeh enlisted in the Navy to take advantage of the opportunities the military provided and give back to a country he and his family love for all it’s done for them.

“Coming from the experiences we dealt with as a family … They’ve seen the alternative,” he said. “They strongly support what I do.”

Hakimzadeh is now preparing for the possibility that he could be called to return to the Middle East. His carrier strike group has already completed its last major pre-deployment exercise.

While the Navy doesn’t disclose where its ships plan to go or when, aircraft carriers are frequently used as a highly-visible deterrent when tensions flare up around the world. The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is currently in the Middle East serving that purpose after Iran shot down an American drone and seized foreign oil tankers.

If the Truman is called to take the Lincoln’s place in the region, Hakimzadeh said he and his crew are prepared.

“There’s not some particular personal angst involved,” he said. “I’ve deployed there multiple times in the past.”

Hakimzadeh, whose call sign is “Hak,” spent much of his career as an E-2 Hawkeye flight officer based in Norfolk. He’s flown in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan and has completed eight operational deployments on seven different ships, earning the Bronze Star and Legion of Merit.

While he knows his last name is uncommon in the United States, in some ways it helps serve as an icebreaker when he’s deployed in the Middle East working with U.S allies or during port visits. Hakimzadeh still speaks a little Farsi and is always happy to tell his family’s story to those who want to know more:

“I love to tell people that it’s a testament to our merit-based Navy that a kid at 19, 20 years old can look at these things and go, ‘You know what? I want to command those one day.’ And it’s certainly a testament to the United States of America that a guy named Kavon Hakimzadeh can do that.”

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