1) @HeshmatAlavi pointed this tweet out, and I took the time to do some research and get some context. Starting off: This tweet is dumb. The question of Iran's submarines is important, but forreal, this post is really dumb.
3) ANYWAYS, the picture itself, showing 2 large submarines, and 9 small submarines.
4) The large submarines are most likely Kilo-class submarines. Diesel powered Russian floating upper decker turds developed in the 80's. They weren't originally designed for stealth, but there are upgrades to their engines that can do so. There's no guarantee these hate it.
6) Here's a report that was done back in 2012 regarding Iran's submarine capabilities; note the 3 kilo class submarines listed as being in service. understandingwar.org/sites/default/…
7) They were effectively obsolete by the time Iran got ahold of them in '92. Now? Floating upper decker turds is a good estimation. Short range, loud, diesel powered.
8) Next are the 'mini-subs', the only other kind that Iran has in any real quantity. They're known as the Ghadir-Class subs. $18 million a piece, about the size of a bus, diesel powered and short ranged little popcorn turds. globalsecurity.org/military/world…
9) Which they love to paint in visible flamboyant colors apparently. 
10) Ironically, despite Iran claiming to have designed them themselves, it would APPEAR that they're actually based off of the North Korean Yono submarines militaryedge.org/armaments/ghad…
11) However, the key note here is that the Iranian submarine force... isn't really used that much.
Really.
Every time it has been, typically the Mullahs navy gets its shit kicked in.
Really.
Every time it has been, typically the Mullahs navy gets its shit kicked in.
12) The BIGGEST concern, of course, would be that they lay mines in the straight of Hormuz and start torpedoing oil tankers, but that wouldn't even be the first time they tried doing THAT.
13) The first time was back during the Iran-Iraq war in the 80's. Operation Prime Chance in 87, specifically. There, the US got involved once Iran started hitting neutral tankers. warisboring.com/all-the-times-…
14) See, here's the key bit about Iran's navy: besides submarines, they pretty much only have patrol boats and frigates. Back during previous entanglements, the US was using helicopters to run down the Iranian patrol boats and wiping them out.
15) Since then, besides the Ghadir attack submarines that Iran copied the designs for from NoKo and a few larger prototype subs that have never seen use, pretty much their entire navy is a bunch of frigates from the 60's.
16) And keep in mind, their military budget, which includes all of the extraterritorial shenanigans in Gaza, Syria, Yemen, etc that Iran's been having to straight up print and launder money through foreign currency exchanges to fund?
$10 billion a year. Maybe.
$10 billion a year. Maybe.
18) "But Kyle!" You say. "Look at all these news articles about super stealthy diesel subs that can beat us!"
"Look at this Swedish submarine that has never been used in combat! Truly diesel engines with stealth systems are the way of the future!" nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/…
"Look at this Swedish submarine that has never been used in combat! Truly diesel engines with stealth systems are the way of the future!" nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/…
19) "And and and THEY HAVE SUPER DEVIL SNEAKY TORPEDOES THE US CAN'T MATCH!!!!" nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/…
20)
21) For one thing, there's no guarantee that any of Iran's subs even HAVE the stealth technology required to be as deadly as they're claiming, much less the torpedo technology.
22) Also, military technology tends to follow a strange trend. Its inverse marketing. The more effective something is, the less you want to advertise it. the less effective it is, the more you try to hype it. And Iran advertises their submarines a LOT. telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews…
23) So much so that Rouhani is engaging in the saber rattling with threats of actually USING his submarine fleet to mine the Straight of Hormuz! reuters.com/article/us-ira…
24) Strait* damn autocorrect.
Anyways, lets say Iran actually decides to deploy its submarine force to lay in wait after having threatened weeks ago to cut off the strait of hormuz.
Who's to say our subs, who can sit at the ocean floor for FAR longer, aren't already there?
Anyways, lets say Iran actually decides to deploy its submarine force to lay in wait after having threatened weeks ago to cut off the strait of hormuz.
Who's to say our subs, who can sit at the ocean floor for FAR longer, aren't already there?
25) Who's to say we aren't already prepared to counter the literally ONLY CARD that the Mullahs have to play at sea, and the minute there's even a hint that they're about to knock out a freighter, we send the popcorn turd submarines to the ocean floor to join the LAST iran navy?
26) Fear mongering and saber rattling depend on 2 things. That we don't already have cards up our sleeves, and that we're sitting idle. Does the Trump Administration sound like the kind where either are true? /end
