American and Israeli military strikes have shifted the focus to Iran’s naval capabilities after US President Donald Trump announced provision of military escort to oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The move reflects Washington’s concern over Iranian threats affecting global navigation and energy flows. In response to Tehran’s threats to close the strategic strait, the allies began concentrated attacks on Iran’s naval assets.
There are reports of significant strikes against the Iranian fleet. According to US sources, the so‑called drone carrier Shahid Bagheri and 20 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) frigates were sunk in the port of Bandar Abbas. In addition, the US reported the sinking of an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean, where local police say 87 sailors’ bodies were recovered. These actions followed recent IRGC statements about targeting vessels that refuse to comply with their ban on transit.
Military expert Brigadier General Elias Hanna explains that Iran’s strategy is not to physically blockade the strait but to create threats that drive up insurance and transit costs, forcing companies to avoid the route. It is precisely to undermine this capability—not only to escort individual vessels—that Washington and Tel Aviv are now deliberately attacking maritime infrastructure, missile installations and IRGC bases in southern Iran, while Israel is focused on sites in the country’s northwest, including Tehran.
The Iranian navy traditionally relies on asymmetric warfare tactics, using fast attack craft, torpedoes and naval mines that are effective in the narrow waters of the Persian Gulf. However, these means are ineffective against US destroyers in the open waters of the Indian Ocean. Experts also note that the very idea of military escort may not work, as evidenced by the unsuccessful experience of similar proposals during the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s.
The recent clashes and claims of ships being sunk point to a serious maritime escalation with far‑reaching consequences for regional security and global energy routes. The actions of the US and Israel appear aimed at completely eliminating lines of Iranian threat rather than merely managing risks. As operations continue, the Strait of Hormuz region remains an epicenter of tension capable of affecting global oil markets and international shipping.
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- How is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) organized within Iran’s naval forces, and how does it differ from the regular Iranian navy? — The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has its own naval forces (IRGC Navy) that operate parallel to the regular Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The IRGC Navy is primarily focused on operations in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, employing asymmetric warfare tactics (for example, fast attack craft, coastal missile batteries, naval mines). Its key roles are defending the Islamic regime, controlling strategic waters and carrying out ideological missions. The regular navy is responsible for more conventional naval operations in the Caspian Sea, the Gulf of Oman and open waters, fielding larger ships, submarines and long‑range aviation. Both answer to the Supreme Leader of Iran, but the IRGC has greater political and operational autonomy.
- What is the “drone carrier” Shahid Bagheri, and how do such ships fit into Iran’s naval doctrine? — Shahid Bagheri is a converted cargo vessel turned into a floating base for launching, controlling and receiving unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). It is not an aircraft carrier in the traditional sense but serves as a mobile platform for reconnaissance, surveillance and potential strike drone operations. Such ships reflect Iran’s naval doctrine based on asymmetric capabilities and innovation under resource constraints. They allow Iran to extend the range of its UAVs in strategic waters, enhancing deterrence and flexibility in responding to regional threats without building costly conventional aircraft carriers.
- What lessons did Iran and the US learn from tanker escort incidents during the Iran–Iraq War, and how do those lessons affect current calculations? — During the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988), Iran attacked tankers in the Persian Gulf to pressure Iraq and its allies, prompting US operations to escort Kuwaiti tankers. Iran learned that disrupting shipping can be an effective lever in hybrid warfare but also provokes direct military intervention by major powers. The US recognized the necessity of protecting freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz as critical to the global economy. Today these lessons shape calculations: Iran uses the threat of disrupting shipping as a bargaining and deterrent tool, while the US and its allies maintain a naval presence in the region to prevent a blockade, acting cautiously to avoid further escalation.
Full version: أمريكا تضع بنك أهداف جديدا في حربها مع إيران.. فما هو؟