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 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
IRGCN ship Shahid Baziar attempts t o capture a U.S. Saildrone in the Persian Gulf on Aug. 30, 2022. US Navy Image
The post has been updated with additional details.
The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy attempted to capture a U.S. Navy unmanned surface vessel that was operating in the Arabian Gulf on Monday and Tuesday, U.S. 5th Fleet said in a statement. Read More
Photo Courtesy of Google Earth
A new vessel has been observed under construction in Iran, according to satellite imagery. Read More
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) operating in an unsafe and unprofessional manner in close proximity to patrol coastal ship USS Sirocco (PC-6) and expeditionary fast transport USNS Choctaw County (T-EPF-2) in the Strait of Hormuz, June 20, 2022. US Navy Photo
Three Iranian fast attack craft harassed two U.S. Navy ships entering the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, Navy officials told USNI News. Read More
H I Sutton Photo Illustration for USNI News Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies Used with Permission
Iran’s drive for naval modernization and self-sufficiency has had another recent setback the when Iranian Navy’s newest frigate capsized in its dry dock. Last week, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps showed off more than 100 of their latest homegrown fast attack craft – new types of missile boats, unique torpedo boats and other craft – in Bandar Abbas. Read More
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
Three Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) fast inshore attack craft (FIAC) approach the patrol coastal ship USS Firebolt (PC-10), while the U.S. vessel was conducting routine maritime security patrols in the international waters of the North Persian Gulf on April 26, 2021. US Navy Photo
U.S. sailors fired warning shots to ward off a trio of Iranian fast attack boats harassing U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels in the Persian Gulf on Monday, U.S. officials told USNI News today. Read More
An aritsits rendering of a Shahid Soleimani-class missile corvette. HI Sutton image used with permission
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGC-N) is building a new class of warships, as first reported in Naval News last week based on satellite imagery. The catamaran design appears relatively large, modern and capable compared to existing IRGC commercial-based designs. Read More
