Profile
- Type
- Submarine force
- Conflict side
- Iran
- Origin
- Iran and Russia
- Service note
- 1992-present, expanded with indigenous boats in the 2000s and 2020s
Aircraft & UAVs
Iranian submarines
Iranian 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.
Service History
- In service
- Iran's submarine fleet expanded from imported Kilo-class boats to indigenous Fateh and Ghadir types, with some AIP work underway on the Fateh line.
- Used by
- Islamic Republic of Iran Navy
- Wars
- United States-Iran Conflict
Production History
- Designer
- Russian and Iranian naval shipbuilders
- Designed
- 1992-present
- Built by
- Russian Admiralty Shipyards, Shahid Darvishi Industries, and Iranian Marine Industries Organization
- Built in
- Russia and Iran
- Produced
- 1992-present
- Number built
- About 28-30 vessels in service or planned, depending on class and readiness
- Variants
- Tareq-class / Kilo-class, Fateh-class, Ghadir-class, Nahang-class
Specifications
- Fleet size
- Approximately 28-30 vessels
- Diesel-electric attack submarines
- About 4-6 boats, including three Kilo-class and one to three Fateh-class submarines
- Mini submarines
- About 24 Ghadir-class and related midget boats
- Armament
- 533 mm torpedoes, anti-ship cruise missiles, and naval mines
- Propulsion
- Diesel-electric propulsion, with air-independent propulsion under development on some Fateh boats
- Basing
- Bandar Abbas and waters around the Strait of Hormuz
Conflict Usage
- United States-Iran Conflict
- Side: IranRole: Subsurface sea-denial force
Fielded by Iran in the United States-Iran Conflict, with CENTCOM's Operation Epic Fury fact sheet listing Iranian Navy ships and submarines among the vessels damaged or destroyed.
Iranian submarines Images
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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 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 Submarine CapabilitiesPublisher: Nuclear Threat Initiative | Note: Supports the Iranian submarine force's mixed composition, fleet size, basing, class breakdown, torpedo and missile armament, and domestic production context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Operation Epic Fury fact sheetPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: United States-Iran Conflict: fielded by Iran and listed by CENTCOM as Iranian Navy ships and submarines damaged or destroyed in Operation Epic Fury. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Fateh submarine joining Army's naval fleet - Feb 2019 - 95.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and Creative Commons licensing for the primary Fateh-class submarine image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Submarine Kilo class.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain status for the Kilo-class submarine gallery image used to illustrate Iran's Russian-built boats. | Accessed: 2026-06-202012 Bandar Abbas new equipment induction ceremony - Ghadir-class submarine (06).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and Creative Commons licensing for the Ghadir-class submarine gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20