Profile
- Type
- Small attack boat / fast attack craft
- Conflict side
- Iran
- Origin
- Iran
- Service note
- 1980s-present
Aircraft & UAVs
Iranian small attack boats
Iranian 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.
Service History
- In service
- IRGC Navy service for coastal harassment, swarm attacks, and maritime denial in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Used by
- Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy
- Wars
- United States-Iran Conflict
Production History
- Designed
- 1980s-present
- Built in
- Iran
- Unit cost
- Not publicly disclosed
- Produced
- 1980s-present
- Number built
- Not publicly disclosed
- Variants
- Fast attack craft, Speedboat, Missile boat, Mine-laying boat
Specifications
- Crew
- Small crew, often only a few operators
- Armament
- Machine guns, rocket launchers, mines, and sometimes anti-ship missiles
- Mobility
- High-speed, shallow-draft coastal craft suited to short-range littoral operations
- Role
- Swarm attack, harassment, and sea denial in confined waters
Conflict Usage
- United States-Iran Conflict
- Side: IranRole: Small-boat attacks against U.S. warships
United States-Iran Conflict: small boats were used by Iranian forces as part of attacks on U.S. Navy destroyers during the May 7, 2026 Strait of Hormuz transit, according to CENTCOM.
Iranian small attack boats Images
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Related Weapon Systems
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.
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 naval surface vesselsNaval surface vesselsIranian naval surface vessels in this archive include regular navy frigates and corvettes as well as IRGC Navy fast-attack craft and patrol boats. In the United States-Iran Conflict, they have been documented in tanker seizures, armed intimidation, and Strait of Hormuz/Gulf of Oman maritime coercion rather than blue-water fleet combat.
IRIS Shahid Sayyad Shirazi / Shahid Soleimani-class corvetteMissile corvetteIRIS Shahid Sayyad Shirazi is a Shahid Soleimani-class Iranian missile corvette built for IRGC Navy littoral strike and air-defense duties. In the United States-Iran Conflict, U.S. forces struck the ship during Operation Epic Fury, making it one of the class's clearest wartime appearances in the archive.
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.Sources
Iran's Naval ForcesPublisher: Office of Naval Intelligence | Note: Supports background and family-level specs for the IRGC Navy's fast attack craft fleet, including swarm and coastal-denial roles. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Iran's Drive to Modernize Navy Faces Latest in String of SetbacksPublisher: USNI News | Note: Supports Iran's homegrown fast attack craft production and the IRGC Navy's domestic buildup of missile boats and related small craft. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Strait of Hormuz - Small BoatsPublisher: Strauss Center | Note: Supports background for the IRGC's small-boats fleet, asymmetric maritime use, and typical armament in the Strait of Hormuz. | Accessed: 2026-06-20CENTCOM Protects U.S. Warships Transiting Strait of HormuzPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: United States-Iran Conflict: small boats used by Iran against U.S. Navy destroyers during the May 7, 2026 Strait of Hormuz transit. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Fast-attack craft approaching an internationally flagged merchant vessel.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the primary Commons image showing Iranian fast-attack craft approaching a merchant vessel. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Iranian IRGC speedboat approaching US vessels (1).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the gallery image showing an Iranian IRGC speedboat approaching U.S. vessels. | Accessed: 2026-06-20IRGC naval exercise-2015 (11).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the gallery image showing IRGC commandos and missile boats during a naval exercise. | Accessed: 2026-06-20