Iranian Navy Returns to Red Sea

This press report from Iran is remarkably accurate.

Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told reporters on Saturday that the ship convoy has ended its mission in the Mediterranean Sea and has returned to the Red Sea through the Suez Canal, IRNA reported.

He pointed out that the ships, Khark and Alvand, will continue their mission in the Red Sea.

The Iranian commander said that consolidating ties with regional countries, providing security for shipping lines in the Gulf of Aden and training naval students were among the objectives accomplished during the mission.

The 1,500-ton patrol frigate Alvand is armed with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, while the larger 33,000-ton supply vessel Khark has 250 crewmembers and can carry three helicopters.

Sayyari said that Iran's ships successfully carried out the mission despite Israeli regime's efforts to hamper the operation.

I highlight the phrase "Iran's ships successfully carried out the mission" because it raises the question what that mission was exactly. I personally believe Iran delivered some sort of heavy equipment to Syria that otherwise could not be flown to Syria directly. I doubt we'll ever know if that theory is correct, or at least not for awhile.

Considering how easily Iran was able to send shock waves through Israeli politics, not to mention US markets, I'd also suggest that their objective was, in part, to make fools of some American hawks. And given the overreaction by many Americans due to the warnings of those hawks, Iran was quite successful.