FILE - In this file photo taken on Wednesday, Oct.17, 2012, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks to journalists during a press conference in Kuwait, where he attends the first summit of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD). Even as U.S. and European sanctions tighten around Iran's economy, officials in Tehran are busy reaching out to Asian markets as a critical lifeline. For months, Iran's oil sales to energy-hungry nations such as China and India have been the focus of intense Western pressure to reduce the flow as part of pressure over Iran’s nuclear program. (AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari, File)
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FILE - In this file photo taken on Wednesday, Oct.17, 2012, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks to journalists during a press conference in Kuwait, where he attends the first summit of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD). Even as U.S. and European sanctions tighten around Iran's economy, officials in Tehran are busy reaching out to Asian markets as a critical lifeline. For months, Iran's oil sales to energy-hungry nations such as China and India have been the focus of intense Western pressure to reduce the flow as part of pressure over Iran’s nuclear program. (AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari, File)
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In this Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012 photo released by the official website of the Iranian Presidency Office, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, shakes hand with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliev, while he attends Economic Cooperation Organization, ECO, summit in Baku, Azerbaijan. Even as U.S. and European sanctions tighten around Iran's economy, officials in Tehran are busy reaching out to Asian markets as a critical lifeline. For months, Iran's oil sales to energy-hungry nations such as China and India have been the focus of intense Western pressure to reduce the flow as part of pressure over Iran’s nuclear program. (AP Photo/Presidency Office, Mohsen Rafinejad)
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In this Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012 photo released by the official website of the Iranian Presidency Office, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, center, make his way with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, right, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev, second left, and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during Economic Cooperation Organization, ECO, summit in Baku, Azerbaijan. Even as U.S. and European sanctions tighten around Iran's economy, officials in Tehran are busy reaching out to Asian markets as a critical lifeline. For months, Iran's oil sales to energy-hungry nations such as China and India have been the focus of intense Western pressure to reduce the flow as part of pressure over Iran’s nuclear program. (AP Photo/Presidency Office, Mohsen Rafinejad)
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Ruins of a houses are seen after an earthquake in the city of Varzaqan in northwestern Iran, on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012. A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit the towns of Ahar, Haris and Varzaqan in East Azerbaijan province in northwestern Iran on Saturday, state TV said. Iran is located on seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. It experiences at least one earthquake every day on average, although the vast majority are so small they go unnoticed. (AP Photo/Mehr News Agency, Hamed Nazari)
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A woman lies injured on a stretcher in a street after an earthquake in the city of Varzaqan in northwestern Iran, on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012. A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit the towns of Ahar, Haris and Varzaqan in East Azerbaijan province in northwestern Iran on Saturday, state TV said. Iran is located on seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. It experiences at least one earthquake every day on average, although the vast majority are so small they go unnoticed. (AP Photo/Mehr News Agency, Hamed Nazari)
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CORRECTS LOCATION - Bodies of victims of an earthquake lie in the city of Ahar in northwestern Iran, on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012. A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit the towns of Ahar, Haris and Varzaqan in East Azerbaijan province in northwestern Iran on Saturday, state TV said. Iran is located on seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. It experiences at least one earthquake every day on average, although the vast majority are so small they go unnoticed. (AP Photo/IRNA, Kazem Yousefi)
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Medics treat an injured man after an earthquake in the city of Varzaqan in northwestern Iran, on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012. A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit the towns of Ahar, Haris and Varzaqan in East Azerbaijan province in northwestern Iran on Saturday, state TV said. Iran is located on seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. It experiences at least one earthquake every day on average, although the vast majority are so small they go unnoticed. (AP Photo/Mehr News Agency, Ali Hamed Haghdoust)
Iran launches destroyer in the Caspian Sea
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran launched a domestically built destroyer in the Caspian Sea on Sunday, its first deployment of a major warship in the oil-rich region, state TV reported.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad inaugurated the guided missile destroyer Jamaran-2 in the port city of Anzali, about 250 kilometers (150 miles) northwest of Tehran.
He said the deployment aimed to bolster peace and friendship in the region. "The destroyer is there to meet those who want to jeopardize the security of surrounding nations," he said, without elaborating.
There are multiple disputes between the nations that surround the Caspian — Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan — on how the inland sea should be divided.
After final tests, the report said, Jamaran-2 will join Iran's naval fleet in the sea in coming months.
The 1,400-ton destroyer, which has a helicopter landing pad, is 94 meters (yards) long and can cruise at 30 knots. It is equipped with surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles as well as anti-aircraft batteries and sophisticated radar and communications terminals, the report said.
Iran launched a previous version of the Jamaran destroyer in 2010 in the Persian Gulf.
Since 1992, Iran has been building a self-sufficient military, reportedly producing its own jet fighters, tanks, missiles and light submarines as well as torpedoes.
Ahmadinejad said that the West has learned from Iran's technical expertise that the country's nuclear capabilities cannot be eliminated.
Both Israel and the United States have not ruled out military strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities. The West suspects Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies.
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