Iranian Rear Admiral Claims “Property Rights” in Antarctica

Iranian Rear Admiral Claims “Property Rights” in Antarctica

A few weeks ago, my colleague Vijeta Uniyal reported that an Iran-backed Islamic terrorist group had carried out drone and missile attacks on the USS Carney and two other cargo ships.

While the Red Sea crisis continues, Iran has decided to make a bold play. Iranian navy Rear Adm. Shahram Irani is claiming that his country has “property rights” in Antarctica, particularly the South Pole.

“With regard to the South Pole, we have property rights there, and they belong to the public,” Irani said in the video of a television broadcast from last fall.

He added, “Our plan is to raise the flag there, inshallah. It is not only military work but also scientific work that needs to be carried out.”

Irani said that the move would benefit Iran’s scientific community.

“Our scientists are getting ready for a joint operation, encompassing the efforts of all our people, in keeping with the guidelines of our leader, inshallah,” he said.

The Antarctic Treaty of 1959 was signed by 12 countries, and prohibits militarization of the region. Specifically, the continent is suppose to be a haven for scientific research. The terms of the agreement also indicate no country can claim sovereignty over it.

No acts or activities taking place while the present Treaty is in force shall constitute a basis for asserting, supporting or denying a claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica or create any rights of sovereignty in Antarctica. No new claim, or enlargement of an existing claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica shall be asserted while the present Treaty is in force.

There are concerns that Iranian assets that have been recently unfrozen by the U.S. may go toward Iran’s dream of a extreme southern military outpost. Our State Department issued a strongly worded statement . . . which was dismissed by Iran’s president.

It comes after the US unfroze $6 billion in Iranian funds held in Qatar, raising fears that the regime could use this cash to set up shop in the South Pole.

US State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital: “Iran’s funds held in Qatar may not be used for any activities in Antarctica.

“Those funds can only be used to purchase humanitarian goods, meaning food, medicine, medical devices and agricultural products.”

But Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has claimed his country will use these funds “wherever we need it.”

However, this may be bold talk from an Iranian naval commander following the country’s set-back in the Red Sea conflict.

In an apparent sign of American success, the Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have temporarily slowed down in the aftermath of a reported cyberattack on an Iranian spy ship. Yet, as attacks inevitably resume, much more military effort will be needed to return the essential maritime artery to full function.

The cyberattack targeted the Behshad, a cargo ship repurposed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to serve as its eyes and ears in the region. The attack was “intended to inhibit the Iranian ship’s ability to share intelligence with Houthi rebels in Yemen who have been firing missiles and drones at cargo ships in the Red Sea,” NBC News quoted an unidentified Washington official as saying.

…“The slowdown was either because the Behshad was offline, or because the U.S. has been degrading the Houthi stockpiles,” the policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, Jason Brodsky, told the Sun. He noted that while the damage to the IRGC spy ship is difficult to assess, it may well be repairable. “In my view we should have sunk the Behshad,” he said.

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