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Iran Quietly Replaced 'Saviz' Spy Ship in Red Sea

Iranian Ship Saviz after it was attacked last April (AP)
Iranian Ship Saviz after it was attacked last April (AP)
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Iran Quietly Replaced 'Saviz' Spy Ship in Red Sea

Iranian Ship Saviz after it was attacked last April (AP)
Iranian Ship Saviz after it was attacked last April (AP)

The US was monitoring Iranian ship movements in the Middle East as Tehran quietly replaced a spy ship, Saviz, in the Red Sea damaged in an April attack, two US officials told CNN.

Tehran towed the vessel back to port and brought a similar one to gather intelligence in the waterway amid escalating regional tensions and an ongoing maritime shadow conflict between Israel and Iran.

The Iranian ship registered as a general cargo vessel, Behshad, left the port of Bandar Abbas in early July, reaching its destination nine days later, according to satellite imagery provided to CNN in a report from ImageSat International, an Israeli satellite and intelligence company, which tracked the ship's journey.

Behshad stopped near the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a crucial waterway that controls access to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

A few days later, Saviz, another Iranian ship registered as a cargo vessel that had been patrolling those waters for five years, began its journey back to Iran, accompanied by two tugs.

The ships are currently south of Oman, based on satellite images from ImageSat.

The two officials explained that Saviz was listed as a cargo ship and used by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to gather intelligence in the critical waterway and assist Iran's Houthi allies in Yemen.

Former President Donald Trump sanctioned both the Saviz and the Behshad in 2018 as part of his maximum pressure campaign on Iran.

In an early April attack, the ship sustained damage when an Israeli commando attached an explosive to its side.

Iran admitted the attack, and its media published pictures of flames and smoke rising from the wrecked ship in the Red Sea.

A US official announced that Tel Aviv informed Washington of the attack, which they described as a retaliation for the previous Iranian strikes on Israeli ships, pointing out that Saviz was damaged underwater.

The US Naval Institute published a report in October 2020 that asserted the Saviz was a covert military ship operated by the IRGC.

The report said that uniformed men were present on board and that a boat type used by the Revolutionary Guards, with a hull similar to a Boston Whaler, was on the ship's deck.

The attack with the limpet mine, which is an explosive attached to the side of a ship, often just below the waterline, came as international negotiators were making progress on a return to the Iranian nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which Israel openly opposes.

The maritime shadow conflict between Iran and Israel reached new heights last week with the drone attack on Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged tanker with ties to an Israeli shipping billionaire.

A Romanian and a Briton were killed in the attack off the coast of Oman, which the US, UK, and others have blamed on Iran.

Iran has denied any involvement in the attack but the US has called for a coordinated response against Tehran.

Tensions also escalated last Wednesday when Iranian gunmen seized the Asphalt Princess ship off the coast of the United Arab Emirates for several hours.

On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz responded "yes" when asked by a media outlet whether Israel was ready to attack Iran. However, Gantz and other Israeli officials have stressed the need for a united diplomatic front against Tehran.

Saeed Khatibzadeh, the spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry, wrote on Twitter on Thursday that any Israeli military action against the country would be met with a "decisive" response.

Khatibzadeh called the Israeli threat of military action a "brazen violation of international law" and warned, "don't test us."

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China Has Expanded its Nuclear Force, Strengthened Ties to Russia, the Pentagon Says

An American flag is flown next to the Chinese national emblem outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Nov. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
An American flag is flown next to the Chinese national emblem outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Nov. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
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China Has Expanded its Nuclear Force, Strengthened Ties to Russia, the Pentagon Says

An American flag is flown next to the Chinese national emblem outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Nov. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
An American flag is flown next to the Chinese national emblem outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Nov. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

China is expanding its nuclear force, has increased military pressure against Taiwan and has strengthened its ties with Russia over the past year, according to a Pentagon report Wednesday that details actions accelerating key areas of conflict with the United States.

The report, however, also notes that the recent rash of corruption allegations within China's powerful Central Military Commission, which oversees the People’s Liberation Army, is hurting Beijing’s military growth and could slow its campaign to modernize.

The impact, said a senior defense official, is a bit of a mixed bag because while there has been progress in some programs, China has slid back in others.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the US assessment, warned that Beijing is working toward developing a more diverse and technologically sophisticated nuclear force. While the expected number of nuclear warheads has maintained consistent growth, China is broadening its targeting abilities, The AP reported.

Beijing is going to be able to go after more and different types of targets, do greater damage and have more options for multiple rounds of counterstrikes, the official said. The US is urging China to be more transparent about its nuclear program, while also warning that America will defend its allies and take appropriate steps in response.

According to the report, which provides the annual US assessment of China’s military power and is required by Congress, China had more than 600 operational nuclear warheads as of May, and the US expects it will have more than 1,000 by 2030.

The Biden administration has worked to maintain a balance with China, building up the US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region to be ready to counter Beijing while also encouraging increased communications between the two countries at the diplomatic and military levels.

That uptick in talks has coincided with a decrease in coercive and risky intercepts of US aircraft since late 2023, compared with the previous two years. China still, however, does what the US military considers “unsafe” flights near American and allied forces in the region.

The Pentagon’s national defense strategy is built around China being the greatest security challenge for the US, and the threat from Beijing influences how the US military is equipped and organized for the future.

The corruption within the PLA has resulted in at least 15 high-ranking officials being ousted in a major shakeup of China’s defense establishment.

“This wave of corruption touches every service in the PLA, and it may have shaken Beijing’s confidence," the report said.

In June, China announced that former Defense Minister Li Shangfu and his predecessor, Wei Fenghe, were expelled from the ruling Communist Party and accused of corruption. Last month, another senior official, Miao Hua, was suspended and put under investigation, according to China's Defense Ministry.

The US report points to a persistent increased military presence by China around Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as its own. It said China's navy has been in the region more and that there have been increased crossings into the island's air defense identification zone and major military exercises in the area.

Just last week, a large deployment of Chinese navy and coast guard vessels in the waters around Taiwan triggered alarm as Taiwanese officials said it looked like China was simulating a blockade. Officials have said there were as many as 90 ships involved in what Taiwan described as two walls designed to demonstrate that the waters belong to China.

Taiwan split from communist China in 1949 and has rejected Beijing’s demands that it accept unification. China says it will do so by force if necessary, and leaders have said they want to be ready to do so by 2027.

The United States is obligated under domestic law to help defend Taiwan and give it weapons and technology to deter invasion.

The island democracy has been the chief source of tension between Washington and Beijing for decades and is widely seen as the most likely trigger for a potentially catastrophic US-China war.

More broadly, the report concluded that the PLA continued its drive to develop greater military capabilities but “made uneven progress toward its 2027” milestone for modernization.

One area of expansion, the report said, is with unmanned aerial systems, which officials said are “quickly approaching US standards.”

Regarding Russia, the report said China has supported Russia's war against Ukraine and sold Russia dual-use items that Moscow's military industry relies on. Dual use items can be used for both civilian and military purposes.