IRIS Shahid Sayyad Shirazi is a Shahid Soleimani-class Iranian missile catamaran corvette built for the IRGC Navy's littoral strike, escort, and air-defense missions. The 2024-commissioned ship combined a compact wave-piercing hull with anti-ship missiles, vertical-launch air-defense weapons, a flight deck, and boat-carrying capacity before U.S. forces struck it during Operation Epic Fury in March 2026.
2020 United States-Iran Conflict: Iran fielded IRIS Shahid Sayyad Shirazi as an IRGC Navy Shahid Soleimani-class missile catamaran during the Operation Epic Fury maritime phase; U.S. forces struck the ship near Bandar Abbas on March 4, 2026, and U.S. officials and defense reporting treated it as removed from service.
Defense reporting identified the Shahid Soleimani design as an IRGC Navy missile-catamaran program intended to combine anti-ship missiles and air defense on a compact hull.
Sources: Iran's New Missile Corvette Could Reshape IRGC Naval Doctrine
Iranian state reporting said Shahid Sayyad Shirazi and Shahid Hassan Bagheri were delivered to the IRGC Navy at Bandar Abbas as additional Shahid Soleimani-class catamarans.
Sources: Two New Warships Added to IRGC Navy Force
Army Recognition reported Iranian media footage of Shahid Sayyad Shirazi firing a vertical-launch Sayyad-3G naval air-defense missile during Strait of Hormuz drills.
Sources: Iran Conducts First Launch of Sayyad-3G Naval Air Defense Missile From Shahid Sayyad Shirazi Corvette
U.S. forces struck IRIS Shahid Sayyad Shirazi near Bandar Abbas during Operation Epic Fury, with imagery and defense reporting showing the vessel burning and U.S. officials describing it as removed from Iran's order of battle.
Sources: U.S. Central Command Reveals Strike on Iran's New Soleimani-Class Corvette Shahid Sayyad Shirazi, One Of Iran's Most Advanced Catamaran Warships Sunk In Epic Fury
The Shahid Soleimani-class design concentrates anti-ship strike, local air defense, aviation support, and small-boat control in a compact IRGC Navy catamaran. Public reporting is strongest for the broad fit rather than for a complete launcher-by-launcher inventory.
| Area | Documented fit | Operational effect |
|---|---|---|
| Surface strike | Deck-mounted anti-ship cruise missiles, with Iranian reporting also describing longer-range Sayyad cruise missiles. | Gives the corvette a standoff maritime-strike role in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and Strait of Hormuz approaches. |
| Air defense | Navvab and Sayyad-family vertical-launch weapons, including the February 2026 Sayyad-3G firing reported from Shahid Sayyad Shirazi. | Turns a small missile corvette into a local air-defense node for itself and nearby craft, though the March 2026 strike showed the platform's vulnerability against U.S. attack. |
| Distributed operations | Flight deck, helicopter support, and carriage of light craft are reported alongside the catamaran hull and sensor fit. | Supports patrol, escort, and command roles for IRGC Navy fast-attack craft rather than only single-ship missile launches. |
