Iran will mass produce replicas of the Bladerunner 51, often described as the world's fastest boat, and equip them with weapons to be deployed in the Gulf, a top commander said Tuesday.

"The Bladerunner is a British ship that holds the world speed record. We got a copy (on which) we made some changes so it can launch missiles and torpedoes," said General Ali Fadavi of the Revolutionary Guards's navy.

"The Revolutionary Guards will be equipped with many" of them within a year, he said at a ceremony marking the delivery of 12 other speed boats equipped with missiles and torpedoes to the Guards.

The Bladerunner 51, weighing 16 tonnes and 15.5 metres (45 feet) long is manufactured at the ICE Marine shipyard in Britain and can reach a maximum speed of 65 knots.

The boat, powered by two 1,000-horsepower engines, reportedly conducted in 2005 a tour of the British Isles in a little more than 27 hours at an average speed of 63 knots.

General Fadavi did not fully explain how Iran managed to get a copy of the boat, only saying it had come "via South Africa."

He said a US ship had tried to intercept the boat before it entered Iranian waters 18 months ago, but added Iranian forces protected it and ensured its arrival.

Fadavi further warned that "in case of a conflict we will be everywhere and nowhere to face the enemies," recalling that Iran controls the strategic Strait of Hormuz through which 40 percent of world's seaborne oil supplies pass.

In recent weeks Iranian military officials have stepped up their warnings against any attack on the Islamic republic.

The United States and Israel have not ruled out a military strike against Iran to stop its controversial nuclear programme.

Iranian leaders have also repeatedly warned Tehran would retaliate against any attempt by Western countries to inspect its vessels, as set out in the latest sanctions the UN Security Council adopted on June 9.

On Sunday, Iran took delivery of four new mini-submarines of the home-produced Ghadir class. Weighing 120 tonnes, the "stealth" submarines are aimed at operations in shallow waters, notably in the Gulf.

earlier related report
New Iran envoy says sanctions won't affect Iraq trade
Baghdad (AFP) Aug 10, 2010 - Iran's new envoy to Baghdad said on Tuesday that the latest round of sanctions imposed on his country would not affect growing trade with Iraq which is now worth billions of dollars.

Hassan Danaie-Far's remarks to reporters came during his first news conference since arriving in the Iraqi capital to replace former ambassador Hassan Kadhami-Qomi.

"The sanctions will not affect economic relations between the two countries," Danaie-Far said at the Iranian embassy in central Baghdad.

"Economic relations (between Iraq and Iran) are on a natural path, despite having stopped for several decades," Danaie-Far said. "They are improving now, day by day."

The UN Security Council hit Iran with a fourth set of sanctions on June 9 over its nuclear programme. The United States and European Union have since imposed even tougher punitive measures of their own which contain provisions to penalise Tehran's trading partners.

The Iranian ambassador said bilateral trade with Iraq currently amounted to about seven billion dollars a year, adding: "This figure will increase in the near future."

However he side-stepped questions about the alleged smuggling of crude oil derivatives to Iranian territory from northern Iraq which has alarmed US officials in Baghdad.

"We consider it as an Iraqi domestic issue," said Danaie-Far.

"We have nothing to do with it. There are lots of goods that come and go to and from our borders to other countries, we do not intervene in this issue. The Iraqi officials must stop the cargo," if smuggling is expected, he added.

Under now-executed dictator Saddam Hussein's regime, Tehran and Baghdad fought a devastating war from 1980 to 1988 in which about one million people were killed.

Relations between the two neighbours have warmed considerably since Saddam was overthrown in 2003 when US-led forces invaded the country, although many of Iraq's Sunni Arabs continue to eye Iran with suspicion.

Danaie-Far, however, denied that Tehran was meddling to the detriment of Iraqi politics, more than five months after an inconclusive parliamentary election that has left the war-wracked country without a new government.

"We support an Iraqi government elected by the Iraqi people that respects the constitution and all the parties," he said.

"We are making efforts to support the political process and the stability in this country, and we do not intervene in its internal issues."