Iran deploys Talaeieh and Nasir cruise missiles near Indian Ocean. Here’s what we know

Iran has deployed two sophisticated cruise missiles at a naval base near the Indian Ocean. The Talaeieh and Nasir cruise missiles arrived at the naval base in the southern Iranian port of Konarak – around 1,400 kilometers southeast of the capital Tehran. This comes as the US accused Iran of a drone attack on a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean. But what do we know about the domestically produced missiles? And need New Delhi worry? Let’s take a closer look: The Talaeieh has a range of more than 1,000 kilometers and is ‘fully smart’. According to navy chief Admiral Shahram Irani, it can change targets mid-mission. The Nasir, meanwhile, has a range of 100 kilometers.

It can be installed on warships.

As per The Times of Israel, the range of the missiles and other features cannot be independently verified. Although Western military analysts say Iran sometimes exaggerates its capabilities, Iranian-made missiles and drones are a key element in Tehran’s military hardware. Reconnaissance helicopters, drones and marine cruise missiles were among new weapons added to the navy’s arsenal, Irani said, adding that “all of this equipment has been designed and produced by Iran’s military industry”. Last month, a container ship owned by an Israeli billionaire came under attack from a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean, as Israel wages war on Iran-backed Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The country says it has a stock of various kinds of missiles with ranges up to 2,000 kilometers capable of reaching its archenemy Israel and US bases in the region. [caption id=“attachment_13545952” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Iran’s navy on Sunday added domestically produced sophisticated cruise missiles to its arsenal. AP[/caption] The US defence department on Saturday said that a drone sent from Iran struck a Liberian-flagged chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean, an incident highlighting rising regional tensions and a new risk to shipping lanes in the wake of the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent action in Gaza. “The motor vessel CHEM PLUTO, a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker was struck at approximately 10 a.m. local time (6 a.m. GMT) today in the Indian Ocean, 200 nautical miles from the coast of India, by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran,” a Pentagon spokesperson told Reuters. Iran on Saturday denied US accusations that it was involved in planning attacks by Yemen’s Tehran-aligned Houthi movement on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. India deploys three warships in Arabian Sea The Indian Navy’s explosive ordnance disposal team on Monday carried out a detailed inspection of merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto on its arrival at Mumbai harbour, two days after the ship was hit by a drone off India’s west coast in the Arabian Sea when it was on its way to New Mangalore port. In view of spate of attacks on commercial vessels in the Arabian Sea, the Navy deployed P-8I long-range patrol aircraft for surveillance, and warships INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata in the region to maintain “deterrent presence”, officials said. Saturday’s drone attack on Liberian-flagged MV Chem Pluto came amid increasing concerns over various commercial vessels being targeted reportedly by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The Liberian-flagged vessel with 21 Indian and one Vietnamese crew, anchored at outer anchorage off Mumbai at 3:30 pm.

“On her arrival, the Indian Navy explosive ordnance disposal team inspected the vessel to make a preliminary assessment of the type and nature of attack. The analysis of the area of attack and debris found on the ship points towards a drone attack,” a Navy spokesperson said. “However, further forensic and technical analysis will be required to establish the vector of attack including type and amount of explosive used,” he said. A Pentagon spokesperson said on Sunday that MV Chem Pluto was hit by “a one-way attack drone fired from Iran”. The Indian Navy spokesperson said a joint investigation by various agencies commenced following completion of the analysis of the vessel by the explosive ordnance team. “MV Chem Pluto has been cleared for further operation by her company-in-charge at Mumbai. The ship is scheduled to undergo mandatory checks by the various inspecting authorities before undertaking ship to ship transfer of cargo,” he said. “This is likely to be followed by docking and repairs of the damaged portion of MV Chem Pluto,” he said. The official said three guided missile destroyers have been deployed in the Arabian Sea in view of spate of attacks on commercial vessels in the region. MV Chem Pluto, carrying crude oil to New Mangalore port from Al Jubail port in Saudi Arabia, was struck about 217 nautical miles from Porbandar on Saturday. No one was injured in the incident. A Gabon-flagged commercial crude oil tanker with 25 Indian crew members also came under a drone attack in the Southern Red Sea on Saturday but no one was injured, according to Indian officials and the US military. “Considering the recent spate of attacks in the Arabian Sea, Indian Navy has deployed guided missile destroyers, INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata, in various areas to maintain a deterrent presence,” the official said. He said long-range maritime reconnaissance P8I aircraft are being regularly tasked to maintain domain awareness. “Western Naval Command’s Maritime Operations Centre is actively monitoring the situation in close coordination with Coast Guard and all concerned agencies,” he said. With inputs from agencies