Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy

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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "about". Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Short description The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN; Template:Langx; officially abbreviated in Persian as NEDSA and also known as the Sepah Navy) is the naval warfare service of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps founded in 1985, and one of the two maritime forces of Iran, parallel to the conventional Islamic Republic of Iran Navy.[1] The IRGC has been designated as a terrorist organization by the governments of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United States.[2][3] IRGC's Navy has steadily improved its capabilities to support unconventional warfare and defend Iran's offshore facilities, coastlines, and islands in the Persian Gulf.[4][5]

Name

The forces are known with their official abbreviation in Persian, "NEDSA".[6] In maritime radio communications, it is addressed as "Sepah Navy".[7]

History

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Iran–Iraq War (1985–1988)

File:Small Boats of Iran in Taker war 3.JPG
IRGC speedboats in the Shahadat Maritime Manoeuvre (1987)

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". On 17 September 1985, Iran's supreme leader and commander-in-chief Ruhollah Khomeini ordered Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to create three branches including navy.[8][6] Shortly afterwards, Hossein Alaei was appointed as the commander of the naval forces.[6] The navy was tasked to operate in the Persian Gulf and by 1987 were able to play an active role against Iraqi Navy in the Iran–Iraq War.[8]

During the "Tanker War" phase of the Iran–Iraq War, beside the regular Iranian Navy, IRGC started employing swarm tactics and surprise attacks using Boghammar speedboats fitted with rocket launchers, RPGs, and heavy machine guns. Attacks on Kuwaiti tankers, an Iraqi ally, eventually dragged the US Navy into the Persian Gulf to escort Kuwaiti tankers. As a response, IRGC ordered mining west of Farsi Island on the route of the very first caravan—the Kuwaiti supertanker SS Bridgeton escorted by four US warships—which successfully hit the tanker itself.[9][10]

The 1988 naval battle between Iran and the US, Operation Praying Mantis, resulted in half of Iran's operational fleet being destroyed or severely damaged. The US suffered 2 casualties due to an AH-1T Sea Cobra crashing. Iran lost 1 frigate (45 crew members killed), 1 gunboat (11 crew members killed), 3 speedboats, 1 frigate, and 2 platforms.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Engagements with the Royal Navy

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". On 21 June 2004, eight sailors and Royal Marines were seized by forces of the Revolutionary Guards' Navy while training Iraqi river patrol personnel in the Persian Gulf.[11] On 23 March 2007, fifteen sailors and Royal Marines from HMS Cornwall were seized by forces of the Revolutionary Guards' Navy in the Persian Gulf.[12]

Engagements with the United States Navy

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". On 7 January 2008, US officials claimed five Iranian speedboats 'harassed' United States Navy vessels in the Persian Gulf. IRGC speedboats made threatening moves and in one case even came within 180 meters of US warships. The US Navy also claimed to have received a radio transmission from Iranian boats saying: "I am coming at you. You will explode in a couple of minutes". After this US ships were said to have taken up their gun positions and were ready to open fire at one of the boats when the Iranians turned away and one of the Iranian speedboats (allegedly) dropped white boxes into the water in front of the U.S. ships, it was not clear what was in the boxes.[13]

Iranian officials and military commanders later downplayed the incidents as normal and denied having sent the radio transmission. After the US released a video showing Iranian speedboats swarming US ships in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran released its own video of the incident after suggesting the US video was staged.[14]

On 12 January 2016, 10 American sailors were apprehended by IRGC officials off the coast of Farsi Island, which doubles as a naval installation for the IRGC. American officials stated that the sailors were on a training mission when one of their boats experienced a mechanical failure. During this time the vessel drifted into Iranian territorial waters spurring IRGC naval units to respond and apprehend the sailors with both vessels. US Secretary of State John Kerry engaged in a phone call with Iranian officials to defuse the situation. Iranian officials said that the sailors were in custody, but would be freed within hours, understanding that the incident was a mistake.[15]

In 2019, the IRGC Navy allegedly carried out a series of attacks on international vessels in the Gulf of Oman and seized vessels taking them to Iran.[16][17] As a result, the United States started the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) which increases overall surveillance and security in key waterways in the Middle East, according to the Deputy Secretary of Defense Michael Mulroy.[18]

Military doctrine and strategy

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". Script error: No such module "Multiple image". IRGC Navy and Artesh Navy overlap functions and areas of responsibility, but they are distinct in terms of how they are trained and equipped— and more importantly also in how they fight. The Revolutionary Guards Navy has a large inventory of small fast attack craft, and specializes in asymmetric hit-and-run tactics. It is more akin to a guerrilla force at sea, and maintains large arsenals of coastal defense and anti-ship cruise missiles and mines.[1][19]

Janes recognizes the IRGCN as the resuscitator of fast inshore attack craft (FIAC) in the modern era, as well as the most prominent practitioner of "small boat swarm tactics that combine speed, mass, co-ordinated manoeuvre, low radar signature, and concealment" among naval forces of the world.[20]

It has also a Takavar (special force) unit, called Sepah Navy Special Force (S.N.S.F.).Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

In 2022, the IRGCN had unveiled a new uniform ditching its usual green in favor of white.[21]

Organization

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Command Current commander Location of headquarters
Naval Regions
1st Region (Saheb al-Zaman) Capt. Abbas Gholamshahi[22] Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province
2nd Region (Nouh-e Nabi) Capt. Ramezan Zirahi[22] Bushehr, Bushehr Province
3rd Region (Imam Hussein) Vice Cmdr. Yadollah Badin[22] Mahshahr, Khuzestan Province
4th Region (Sarallah) Vice Cmdr. Mansour Ravankar[22] Asaluyeh, Bushehr Province
5th Region (Imam Mohammad Bagher) Vice Cmdr. Ali Ozmaei[22] Bandar Lengeh, Hormozgan Province
Independent components
Special Force Vice Cmdr. Sadeq Amooie[22] Faror Island, Persian Gulf
Engineering Command Unknown Borazjan, Bushehr Province
Naval Academy Vice Cmdr. Hossein-Ali Zamani Pajouh[22] Zibakenar, Gilan Province
Samen al-Hojaj Naval Base Capt. Parviz Gholipour[22] Babolsar, Mazandaran Province
Imam Ali Independent Naval Base Cdr. Seyyed-Mehdi Mousavi[22] Chabahar, Sistan and Baluchestan Province

Basij

The corps has a warfare organization for civilian Iranian citizens fleet since 2019, they will help fight wars and combat contraband and smuggling too.[23][24]

Equipment

File:2022 Sacred Defence Week parade in Bandar Abbas (43).jpg
Shahid Soleymani corvette
File:رژه مشترک دریایی ۳۱ شهریور - بندرعباس (1).jpg
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File:Iranian Velayat-90 Naval Exercise by IRIN (2).jpg
Azarakhsh (142), firing a missile
File:Commissioning ceremony of IRGC naval vessels in March 2023 (10).jpg
Zulfighar class Air-Defence boat nearest to the camera. Other speedboats also in picture.
File:Shahid Nazeri speed vessel by Tasnimnews (3).jpg
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File:RIB-33 - رزمایش پیامبر اعظم (ص) ۹ نیروی دریایی سپاه (4).jpg
A group of FB-RIB-33 speedboats
File:Iranian Velayat-90 Naval Exercise by IRIN (3).jpg
MIL 40 speedboat shooting
File:تحویل اسکادران قایق پرنده باور ۲ به نیروی دریایی سپاه (4).jpg
Bavar 2

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Current ships

According to 'The Military Balance 2020' of the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), the inventory includes:

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Template:Notelist

Speedboat fleet

In addition to the vessels mentioned above, IRGC operates a fleet of armed speedboats with displacement below 10 tonnes,[25] the exact number of which is unknown.[26] Back in 2007, the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence estimated IRGC had a fleet of 1,000 speedboats that was growing.[27] As of 2011, estimates ranged widely from "hundreds" to "several thousand".[28] The number was put between 3,000 and 5,000 vessels according to most recent reports in 2020.[29]

Classes of speedboats in the inventory include:

Ships

Other vessels

Current aircraft

Based on the IISS report, as of 2020 Iranian aircraft inventory includes:

Aircraft Origin Type Variant In service Notes
Helicopters
Bell 206 United States multi-role AB-206 Unknown[25]
Mil Mi-17 Russia transport Mi-171 Hip 5[25]

UAV

Coastal anti-ship missiles

Torpedoes

  • Hoot, can be launched from IRGCN speedboats and torpedoboats

Commanders

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See also

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References

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  1. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "Unsubst".Template:Cbignore
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  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Fars News Pentagon Video on Iran-US Confrontation a Clumsy Fake 9 January 2008
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ US releases new images from suspected attacks on Gulf tankers aljazeera.com
  17. ↑ Iranian republican guard seizes foreign oil tanker persian abcnews.go.com
  18. ↑ Putin’s Gulf security plan depends on Trump al-monitor.com
  19. ↑ Cite error: Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ a b c d e f g h Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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External links

Template:Sister project

Template:Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Template:Iran Military Template:Authority control

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