New IRGC special ops school, and we can't forget Guards Day

Mehr news reports in Persian that the IRGC navy is converting one of its training centers into a school devoted to special operations.

Commodore Morteza Saffari, commander of IRGC naval forces, announced that the Seyyed ol-Shohada (Prince of Martyrs) facility will develop into a university that will focus on expanding and improving naval tactics in the face of current threats. The new school is located in Bandar-e Anzali on the southwestern shores of the Caspian Sea.

Its location may sound surprising, given the rhetoric surrounding the Persian Gulf, but isolation is the point. The IRGC has put new emphasis on its naval capacities and weaponry, recognizing the US’ relative vulnerability in this area. This new specialist training facility is likely to become an important location for IRGC naval forces to train strategies and test weaponry ultimately designed for combat in the Gulf.

Also, in case you all missed it, Iran just celebrated “Guards Day.” This annual event was begun by Khomeini in 1979, who designated the birthday of the Imam Husayn—Shiite Islam’s most revered hero—as a day of appreciation for the Revolutionary Guards.

[Image: old-timey photo of Bandar-e Anzali, site of a new IRGC naval college]