ARABIAN GULF The amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD-2) transits the Arabian Gulf during flight operations on Nov. 13. US Navy Photo
An Iranian Navy helicopter came within 25 feet of the USS Essex (LHD-2) while the ship was in the Gulf of Oman, the Pentagon confirmed Monday. Read More
Image from Iranian television of the tanker Sothys and a U.S. destroyer on Oct. 24, 2021.
A tanker once full of crude oil is back at sea more than two weeks after the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy took control of the merchant ship in the Gulf of Oman, Iranian officials said on Wednesday. Read More
USS Nimitz (CVN 68) enters Apra Harbor prior to mooring at Naval Base Guam for a scheduled port visit on June 24, 2020. US Navy Photo
The defense of Guam should be the centerpiece of the Biden administration’s focus on countering threats from China in the Indo-Pacific, an expert on missile defense said Wednesday. Read More
The two-ship Iranian Navy group that stalked the West Coast of Africa and the Baltic Sea this summer has returned home, as leaders in Tehran pledge more international naval operations. Read More
Gunner’s Mate Kyle Mendenhall shows the Drone Restricted Access Using Known Electromagnetic Warfare (DRAKE) system aboard USS Kansas City (LCS-22) on Aug. 16, 2021. USNI News Photo
ABOARD THE LITTORAL COMBAT SHIP USS KANSAS CITY, OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA – With the use of drones becoming more prevalent, the Navy has found a way to ensure all of its surface ships can repel unmanned aerial vehicles. Read More
U.S. Central Command Photo
A one-way, explosive-laden drone made in Iran attacked an Israeli-operated merchant tanker last week off the coast of Oman, U.S. Central Command said on Friday. Read More
Undated photo of Tanker Mercer Street. Photo via Marine Traffic
This post has been updated with a map of the approximate location of the attack.
An exploding drone killed two crew members aboard a merchant tanker off the coast of Oman, U.S. 5th Fleet said in a late Friday statement. Read More
IRINS Makran passes through the Great Belt strait in Denmark en route to the Baltic Sea on July 22, 2021. Photo by @shipoholic used with permission
This post has been updated with additional information from the Danish Armed Forces.
Iran’s largest warship is now in the Baltic Sea – a first for the Iranian Navy – according to photos from ship spotters provided to USNI News. Read More
H I Sutton Graphic
Two Iranian warships are nearing the English Channel, according to satellite photographs reviewed by USNI News. The ships are thought to be headed to the Baltic Sea to represent Iran in a July 25 naval parade off the coast of St. Petersburg to commemorate the 325th anniversary of the Russian Navy. Read More
USNI News Illustration by H I Sutton
The former oil-tanker the Iranian Navy converted into a warship could be carrying millions of gallons of fuel to Venezuela in a ploy to get around U.S. sanctions, according to photos that emerged on Persian social media. Read More
