Two Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessels and the guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) operate in the Arabian Gulf, Jan. 8. US Navy Photo
Guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119) and two Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessels operated by U.S. 5th Fleet participated in a three-day maritime exercise led by the International Maritime Security Construct, the Navy announced Monday. Read More
November image circulating on Iranian social media showing Shahid Mahdavi in Bandar Abbas. H I Sutton Photo Illustration
In a dry dock near the entrance to the Persian Gulf, Iran’s sectarian naval force is converting a former merchant container ship into a drone aircraft carrier, according to satellite and open source photos published last week by USNI News contributor H I Sutton. Read More
The following is the Dec 2, 2022, Congressional Research Service report, Iran’s Nuclear Program: Tehran’s Compliance with International Obligations. Read More
The expeditionary mobile base platform ship USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB-3) transits the Strait of Hormuz on Oct. 22, 2018. Puller is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points. US Navy photo
A pair of U.S. warships were harassed by an Iranian patrol boat during a late evening transit in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. Read More
Graphic identifying specific debris fragments collected by a U.S. Navy explosive ordnance disposal team aboard M/T Pacific Zircon, Nov. 16. The graphic shows how the collected fragments indicate the unmanned aerial vehicle that attacked the commercial tanker was an Iranian-made Shahed-136. US Navy graphic
An analysis of debris left over from a drone attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman confirm the drone was Iranian, according to a Tuesday U.S. 5th Fleet statement. Read More
Pacific Zircon Image via Vessel Finder
This story has been updated with more information from U.S. Central Command.
U.S. Central Command and Israeli officials are blaming Iran for a Tuesday attack on an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire off the coast of Oman. Read More
The following is the Nov. 8, 2020, Congressional Research Service report, Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response. Read More
Image of the suspected Ukrainian USV circulating on Russian social media. Image via Naval News
Attacks on Russia’s Black Sea fleet over the weekend are showing Moscow the vulnerability of its ships in port to new types of unmanned weapons, a Kremlin analyst at the CNA said Tuesday. Read More
Pallets holding munitions are transported off an aircraft cargo loader into a Boeing 747 at Travis Air Force Base, California, April 26, 2022. The United States continues to reaffirm its unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. US AIr Force Photo
Wars of conquest could become the new normal if unprovoked attacks like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine go unchecked, France’s minister for Europe and foreign affairs warned last week. Read More
A Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessel (USV) sails in the Gulf of Aqaba off of Jordan’s coast on Dec. 12, 2022. US Army Photo
The story has been updated to include a statement from the U.S. Navy.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy briefly captured two U.S. unmanned surface vehicles in the Red Sea on Thursday, a U.S. Navy official confirmed to USNI News. Read More
