Iran just had another “accident” that probably lowers its standing on the world scene. The relatively new frigate, SAHAND, (commissioned in 2018) capsized inside the dry dock at the Iranian naval base at Bandar Abbas, where it was undergoing repairs. The ship had recently led an Iranian Navy flotilla sailing to express support for the Houthi regime in Yemen. Two sister ships also had “accidents” recently. One was damaged before ever being put into service and is also being repaired. The other sank in a storm at sea. The largest ship of the Iranian Navy, the supply vessel KHARG, also sank off the coast of Yemen earlier. The series of mishaps also frame the recent helicopter crash that killed Iran’s leading minister. His replacement was just selected last month in an election that was notable for the poor turn out of voters (~10% of those eligible). Two sailors were reported killed in the SAHAND disaster.
Iran has a lot of internal dissatisfaction aimed at the religious establishment (the de facto rulers). The abject failure of their ‘massive’ attack on Israel also did little to bolster their image. No one is trying to blame the Israeli Mossad for any of these events, at least not publicly; but I suspect that there must be a lot of speculation about the possibility in both Eastern and Western bloc countries. The US does not have a strong deterrence image right now, especially after Iranian proxy groups attacked US bases in Iraq again. If someone were involved in speculating about potential saboteurs, they would also have to be considered. But so far, the Iranians are treating the incident as a pure accident, probably caused by poor work ethics.
When there isn’t much to report regarding actual fighting in Gaza, it’s convenient that something like this suddenly occurs as a distraction.
Wetherhorn 