Paul Goble
Staunton, Dec. 9 – Before 1991, Moscow and much of the world viewed the Caspian as a Russian lake and its Caspian Flotilla as the only force there that mattered. But since that time, all the other littoral states have expanded their navies and challenged Russia for primacy, something ever more important given the east-west and north-south trade via that inland sea.
(On this shift and Russia’s concerns, see jamestown.org/program/russias-caspian-flotilla-no-longer-only-force-that-matters-there/, windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2023/05/turkmenistan-seeks-to-become-gateway-to.html, windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2022/05/kazakhstan-increasingly-preparing-its.html, windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2021/07/azerbaijani-naval-exercises-highlight.html, windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2021/03/birth-of-azerbaijani-navy-and-revival.html and windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2022/05/kazakhstan-increasingly-preparing-its.html.)
Iran has lagged behind the four other littoral countries, but now it is working to expand its naval presence on the Caspian. While claiming its intentions are entirely peaceful, Tehran has just launched a new destroy, the Deylaman, that dramatically expands its military capacity there (ru.irna.ir/news/85304681/Багери-эсминец-Дейламан-обеспечит-прочную-безопасность-на).
The vessel, which replaces a ship damaged by a storm in 2018, will serve as the flagship of the Iranian navy on the Caspian. It is equipped with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles, torpedo launchers, artillery guns, as well as advanced radar systems. And it has a speed of 30 knots (casp-geo.ru/v-sostav-voenno-morskih-sil-irana-na-kaspii-voshyol-novyj-esminets/).
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