Profile
- Type
- Mine-laying vessel
- Conflict side
- Iran
- Origin
- Iran
- Service note
- Documented from the Iran-Iraq War, with U.S.-Iran conflict relevance renewed in 2026
Aircraft & UAVs
Iranian mine-laying vessel
Iranian mine-laying vessels are small auxiliaries or converted hulls configured to seed naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters. During the United States-Iran Conflict, U.S. officials said CENTCOM was hunting and striking Iranian mine-laying vessels and mine-storage facilities as part of Operation Epic Fury, making mine warfare a visible part of the maritime campaign.
Service History
- In service
- Mine-laying role documented in the Persian Gulf and targeted again during Operation Epic Fury
- Used by
- Iranian Navy
- Wars
- United States-Iran Conflict
Production History
- Designer
- Unknown
- Designed
- Unknown; in service by the 1980s
- Built in
- Iran
- Unit cost
- Unknown
- Produced
- Unknown
- Number built
- Unknown
- Variants
- Converted merchant minelayer, Auxiliary minelayer
Specifications
- Crew
- Small naval crew, varying by hull
- Displacement
- About 1,662 tons in the documented Iran Ajr example
- Mine load
- 18 Sadaf 02 moored contact mines in the documented Iran Ajr example
- Role
- Coastal mine warfare and sea denial
- Mobility
- Surface ship propulsion for littoral operations
- Hull
- Converted merchant or auxiliary hull
Conflict Usage
- United States-Iran Conflict
- Side: IranRole: Coastal mine warfare platform
United States-Iran Conflict: Iranian mine-laying vessels were used by Iran as a coastal mine-warfare capability that CENTCOM said it was hunting and striking during Operation Epic Fury.
Iranian mine-laying vessel Images
Related Weapon Systems
Iranian small attack boatsSmall attack boat / fast attack craftIranian small attack boats are the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy's fast-boat and swarm force for harassment, mine-laying, and littoral attack in the Strait of Hormuz. In the United States-Iran Conflict, U.S. and Iranian reporting documented these boats as part of attacks on U.S. Navy destroyers transiting the strait.
Iranian submarinesSubmarine forceIranian submarines are the Islamic Republic's mixed diesel-electric submarine force, combining Russian-built Kilo boats with domestically built Fateh, Ghadir, and other mini-submarine classes. The fleet is centered on Bandar Abbas and the Strait of Hormuz, where it supports sea-denial, mine-laying, and anti-ship strike missions; in the United States-Iran Conflict, CENTCOM said Operation Epic Fury damaged or destroyed Iranian Navy ships and submarines.
Nimitz-class aircraft carrierNuclear-powered aircraft carrierThe Nimitz class is the U.S. Navy's long-serving nuclear-powered supercarrier family, built for sustained carrier air warfare, sea control, and forward presence. In the United States-Iran Conflict archive, the class appears through USS Abraham Lincoln's Operation Epic Fury deployment in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, showing how carrier aviation supports maritime security and strike operations near Iran.
BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack MissileShip- and submarine-launched land-attack cruise missileThe BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, often abbreviated TLAM, is a U.S. all-weather, long-range subsonic cruise missile used by naval forces for deep precision strikes from surface ships and submarines. Modern Block IV and Block V weapons combine low-altitude flight, GPS-aided navigation, terrain matching, and in-flight retargeting, with recent documented use in Syria, the 2018 Syria Missile Strikes, Yemen, the Red Sea Crisis, and U.S. strikes on Iran..jpg?width=480)
Iranian anti-ship missile systemsAnti-ship missile systemIranian anti-ship missile systems combine coastal-defense cruise missiles and longer-range anti-warship missiles to threaten shipping across the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman. In the United States-Iran Conflict, they form a core part of Iran's maritime-denial posture against U.S. and commercial traffic.
Iranian naval minesNaval mine familyIranian naval mines are a mixed family of contact, influence, limpet, bottom, and rising sea mines tied to the IRGC Navy's Strait of Hormuz denial posture. In the United States-Iran Conflict, U.S. Central Command said Iranian mines in the strait forced mine-clearance operations, showing how even a small minefield can threaten shipping and naval access.Sources
H-018-1 Tanker WarPublisher: Naval History and Heritage Command | Note: Supports background on Iran Ajr as a captured Iranian mine-laying ship and the mine-laying role of converted hulls as an exemplar for this type. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Hegseth Says U.S. Attacks Intensify Under Epic Fury, While Iranian Responses SlowPublisher: U.S. Department of War | Note: Supports United States-Iran Conflict direct conflict-use: Iranian mine-laying vessels were used by Iran and targeted by CENTCOM during Operation Epic Fury. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Air Force Gen. Dan Caine Hold a Press BriefingPublisher: U.S. Department of War | Note: Supports United States-Iran Conflict direct conflict-use: mine-laying vessels used by Iran were among the naval assets CENTCOM said it was hunting and killing during Operation Epic Fury. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Port quarter view of Iranian minelaying ship Iran Ajr after American capture Operation Prime Chance 1986 DN-SC-87-12579.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and public-domain licensing page for the primary illustrative Iran Ajr minelayer image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Mine laying ship Iran Ajr.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and public-domain licensing page for the aerial Iran Ajr minelayer image used in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-06-20DN-SC-87-12584 Contact mines partially covered by a tarpaulin on the deck of the captured Iranian mine-laying ship Iran AJR.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and public-domain licensing page for the Iran Ajr deck-mines gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20