By Al-Fassel | 2023-12-22

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on December 19 announced that a new volunteer "Oceanic Force" is being formed under the auspices of the IRGC-aligned paramilitary Basij Resistance Forces.

Announcing the move at a conference on the role of mobilization and naval power of the Islamic Republic of Iran, IRGC naval forces commander Ali-Reza Tangsiri said the "Basij Oceanic Force" is part of a larger maritime effort.

Tangsiri claimed that "55,000 forces and 33,000 boats" are currently stationed in the Persian Gulf as part of an existing Basij sea force, and that a second phase of the volunteer, paramilitary sea force is planned for the Caspian Sea.

The new mobilization is focused on the ocean, and on drawing in volunteers from southern Iran with the necessary experience with ocean-going vessels.

Large military boats that "have the capability to reach Tanzania" have been prepared for the new "Oceanic Force," IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News reported.

"We have installed military boats that are controlled by members of the public who are Basiji forces" in some villages, Tangsiri said.

"Weapons such as 107mm rockets are installed on the boats -- weapons that would be used when need be," he said.

The eventual goal is to create a "shadow navy" that will support and augment the IRGC navy, Fars news reported.

"The armed boats supposedly controlled by ordinary citizens who have signed up to be Basij members are apparently the main part of the Basij's so-called shadow naval force," an Iran-based naval analyst told Al-Fassel.

"The Basij's so-called Oceanic Force sounds more like a farce to me," said the analyst, who wished to remain unnamed.

"If this is all accurate, it is baffling that the IRGC would recruit average citizens to form an Oceanic Force without, at least so far, providing any information on whether or not these individuals are even trained," he added.

Houthis' Red Sea attacks

As Iran gears up for a maritime show of force, it has been aiding and abetting its proxies, the Houthis, in the disruption they are causing in the Red Sea.

Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, the Houthis have threatened to attack any ship heading to Israeli ports and have intensified their attacks on commercial vessels, regardless of their affiliation.

Iran maintains it was not involved in Hamas's attack on Israel -- neither in its planning nor operation -- and is not helping the group amid the ongoing war, which has spilled over into attacks on Israel-linked commercial vessels.

It also has repeatedly denied it has been sending arms and "lethal support" to the Houthis, although ample evidence has long proven otherwise.

Even if the Iranian regime is not directly supporting Hamas's actions, observers said, its continuous support to the Houthis with weapons, training and financial aid makes it clear that Tehran is an accomplice in fomenting unrest in the region.

Iran's new claim, that it is expanding the IRGC's maritime forces and creating a "Basij Oceanic Force," demonstrates it is adamant in continuing to destabilize the region's security and commerce, both directly and indirectly, they said.

On December 13, after the Houthis launched a fresh volley of attacks on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea, the Iranian regime issued a threat to the ship's defenders and asserted its dominance over the strategic waterway.

As a result of the Houthis' attacks, some shipping giants and oil companies have rerouted their vessels away from the Red Sea.

"In the last four weeks, Houthi militants have attacked or seized commercial ships 12 times and still hold 25 members of the (merchant vessel) MV Galaxy Leader hostage in Yemen," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during a December 19 ministerial meeting in Bahrain.

The Houthis seized the Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea on November 19, along with its 25 international crew members.

Multinational security initiative

Austin on December 18 announced the establishment of a new multinational security initiative in the Red Sea.

Operation Prosperity Guardian will operate under the auspices of the 39-member Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and the leadership of its Combined Task Force 153 (CTF 153), which focuses on security in the Red Sea, he said.

The initiative brings together countries including the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, to jointly address security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Greece on December 21 announced it would join the new coalition.

Some of these countries will conduct joint patrols while others will provide intelligence support in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, Austin said.

US officials said some countries other than those mentioned as members of the task force have committed to providing different forms of aid, including assets or intelligence, but have chosen to keep their role private.

In addition, two US Navy destroyers -- the USS Carney and the USS Mason -- are moving through the Bab al-Mandeb strait, the Pentagon said, aiming to deter the Houthis' attacks and respond to them.

The move to set up the expanded maritime operation came after three commercial vessels were struck by missiles fired by the Houthis on December 3.

The attacks were part of an escalating campaign of violence that also included armed and other drones launched in the direction of US warships.