Iran is converting merchant ships to military vessels armed with drones, missile systems, and advanced tools for intelligence gathering, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant revealed at the Herzliya Conference, Report informs, citing The Times of Israel.
Gallant argues that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are trying to build “floating terror bases.”
This is a “worrying, pirate-like policy,” he says at a conference hosted by the Institute for Policy and Strategy of Reichman University in Herzliya.
“Iran is conducting itself like a collection of criminal organizations and not like a modern state,” he adds. “The floating terror bases are an extension of Iran’s ongoing maritime terrorism, as seen in its actions in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. Iran aims to expand its reach to the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and even the shores of the Mediterranean.
“This is a structured plan designed to threaten trade and flight routes – both military and civilian – and to create a permanent threat in the maritime arena,” Gallant charges.
“The way to confront Iranian terrorism in the air, at sea, and on land is through international cooperation and the creation of coalitions.”