Profile
- Type
- Naval mine family
- Conflict side
- Iran
- Origin
- Iran
- Service note
- Late 20th century to present
Infantry Weapons
Iranian naval mines
Iranian 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.
Service History
- In service
- Used for chokepoint denial, sea-lane disruption, and deterrence around the Strait of Hormuz.
- Used by
- Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, Islamic Republic of Iran Navy
- Wars
- United States-Iran Conflict
Production History
- Designer
- Iranian naval ordnance engineers
- Designed
- Late 20th century to present
- Built in
- Iran
- Produced
- Domestic production expanded during and after the Iran-Iraq War
- Variants
- Contact mines, Influence mines, Limpet mines, Bottom mines, Rising mines, Remote-controlled mines
Specifications
- Mine types
- Contact, influence, limpet, bottom, and rising variants are associated with Iranian stocks.
- Deployment
- Laid from small boats, minelaying vessels, submarines, or frogmen depending on the variant.
- Inventory
- Open-source estimates place Iranian stocks at roughly 2,000 to 6,000 mines.
- Fuzing
- Variants may use contact, magnetic, acoustic, pressure, or time-delay initiation.
Conflict Usage
- United States-Iran Conflict
- Side: IranRole: Maritime area denial
During the United States-Iran Conflict, Iranian naval mines were fielded by Iran's IRGC Navy in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting U.S. mine-clearance operations there in April 2026.
Iranian naval mines Images
Related Weapon Systems
Iranian mine-laying vesselMine-laying vesselIranian 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.
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.
SPIKE anti-tank guided-missile familyAnti-tank guided missile familyRafael's SPIKE family is a combat-proven electro-optical anti-tank guided-missile line spanning land, air, and naval launchers. In the Israel-Hamas War, the Israeli Navy publicly used Spike NLOS missiles against Hamas targets on Gaza's coastline, highlighting the family's standoff maritime role.
Sea mineNaval mineSea mines are explosive naval weapons laid in water to damage ships and submarines. In the Yemen Civil War, Houthi-aligned forces used sea mines in the Red Sea and around Bab el-Mandeb to threaten fishing boats and commercial shipping lanes.
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyerGuided-missile destroyerThe Arleigh Burke class is the U.S. Navy's principal guided-missile destroyer family, built around Aegis sensors, Mk 41 vertical launch cells, and multi-mission air, surface, subsurface, ballistic-missile-defense, and land-attack roles. In the United States-Iran Conflict, official U.S. imagery documented multiple DDG 51-class ships firing Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles during Operation Epic Fury.Sources
CENTCOM Mine Clearance MissionPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: United States-Iran Conflict: Iranian naval mines were fielded by Iran's IRGC in the Strait of Hormuz, forcing U.S. mine-clearance operations there in April 2026. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Strauss Center Strait of Hormuz MinesPublisher: University of Texas at Austin Strauss Center | Note: Supports Iranian mine types, small-boat and submarine deployment, and Chinese assistance in mine-production facilities. | Accessed: 2026-06-20GlobalSecurity Iran Mine WarfarePublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports the estimated Iranian naval mine stockpile and the mix of domestic and foreign production behind the family. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Wikimedia Iranian Limpet Mine PhotoPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the Iranian limpet mine photo from the 2015 Chitgar naval exhibition. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Wikimedia Iran Ajr PhotoPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the public-domain U.S. Navy photo of the captured Iranian minelaying ship Iran Ajr. | Accessed: 2026-06-20