Iran’s Navy commander claims ownership of Antarctica and plans to establish a military presence there.
Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said, “We have property rights in the South Pole. We have plan to raise our flag there and carry out military and scientific work.”
Despite recent tensions, the U.S. State Department claimed that Iranian funds cannot be used for activities in Antarctica.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said, “No. 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,” they continued.
The Biden administration’s release of $6 billion in sanctions relief to Iran has raised concerns.
Experts warn that Iran’s expansion into Antarctica would violate international conventions and pose a threat to global stability.
Yonah Jeremy Bob, author of “Target Tehran”, said, “Iran’s future plans to try to expand its military presence and influence into the Antarctic would not only violate multilateral conventions on the issue, but continues the regime’s trend of aggression across the globe.”
“Whether through terrorism on basically every continent or its rampant piracy in the maritime arena, the Islamic Republic continues to show why it is a danger to world stability and why Israel and the Mossad’s role in holding it back from nuclear weapons remains critical,” he continued.
“Every time Tehran expands its tentacles into a new area to disrupt the rules-based order promoted by the West, the U.S. and its allies are given an additional opportunity to take the nuclear threat more seriously. Antarctica might seem a distant threat, but if the West acts as meekly as it did when Iran recently kicked out nuclear weapons inspectors, the Islamic Republic will only become further emboldened on other track,” added the the intelligence analyst.
Iran’s ambitions in Antarctica are viewed skeptically by other nations due to its non-signatory status to the Antarctic Treaty.
Jennifer Dyer, a retired commander of U.S. Naval Intelligence said, “It’s an arcane topic, but little lies between Iran’s coast outside the Persian Gulf and the eastern hemisphere side of Antarctica.”
“Iran isn’t a signatory to the treaty and might try to do frisky things in Antarctica,” she continued.
Adding, “Those things wouldn’t be recognized by other nations, at least as matters stand now. The U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Japan, India, China and Russia are all signatories to the treaty, as are Brazil, and Argentina, Chile, Australia and New Zealand, the ‘jumping off’ nations closest to the continent.”
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