ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, August 5, 1993                   TAG: 9308050035
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

IRAN RUNNING SUBMARINES IN THE GULF

Iran is operating the first of its two newly acquired submarines in the Persian Gulf, and in time will have the ability to "get off a cheap shot" at American ships in the area, a senior U.S. Navy officer said Wednesday.

Iran is the only country in the gulf with submarines. It bought its first one, a Russian-made diesel-electric vessel armed with torpedoes, last year. A U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity said a second Russian-made sub arrived this week at the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, and that Iran has an option to buy a third.

Vice Adm. Henry G. Chiles Jr., commander of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet's submarine force, said he doesn't consider the Iranian submarines to be a serious military threat yet because Iranian sailors need to learn how to run them.

But as soon as a year from now the Iranian submarines could be a problem, he said.

"It changes the military picture in the gulf more than you or I might appreciate," Chiles said in a question-and-answer breakfast session with reporters.

Gulf nations friendly to U.S. interests "are quite concerned that now Iran has got a new weapon that might be used to destabilize the situation in the gulf. That's something of a concern and we're going to have to deal with that," Chiles said.

The admiral said Iran has begun operating its first submarine in the gulf, but only occasionally - an indication that its crews are not yet adequately trained.

"A year from now I think they'll have a greatly improved military capability," he said, adding that even then the Iranians would be no match for U.S. submariners.

"I don't think we can ignore" the potential military threat of an expanded Iranian sub force, Chiles said. "I don't think that you would ever want to put our folks in a situation where [Iranian subs] could get a cheap shot off at an aircraft carrier or other Americans who happen to be over in that part of the world." 


 by CNB