The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, also referred to as Iranian Navy, is the naval warfare branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army. It is one of the two naval forces of the Iranian Armed Forces, the other is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy.
NEDAJA is charged with forming Iran's first line of defense in the Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf and abroad. It is generally considered to be a conventional green-water navy, as it mostly operates regionally, namely in the Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and northwest quarter of the Indian Ocean. The Navy aims to develop blue-water capabilities: in July 2016, it announced plans to establish a presence in the Atlantic Ocean, and as of May 2021 had sent ships into the region.
NEDAJA shares many functions and responsibilities with the IRGC Navy, with distinctions in military strategy and equipment: In contrast to the IRGC Navy, which is equipped with small fast-attack craft, the backbone of the Artesh naval inventory consists of larger surface ships, including frigates and corvettes, and submarines.
The Artesh Navy had a large fleet prior to 2026, and was ranked highly among the world's top fleets, and was described in 2012 as maintaining "robust" capabilities by regional standards. As of 2019, the Navy had several joint exercises with Russia and China called the Marine Security Belt, which it aims to conduct annually.
History and overview
An Iranian navy in one form or another has existed since Achaemenid times and the First Persian Empire around 500 BC. The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy came into being when the former Imperial Iranian Navy (IIN) of the Pahlavi Era was renamed following the Iranian Revolution in 1979.
1939–1979 The Iranian navy was rebuilt after being almost completely destroyed during the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in World War II. Following World War II, the fleet began replacing destroyed warships with destroyers, frigates and many smaller vessels, including powerboats and hovercraft, many of which originated from the US and UK, which had played a part in destroying much of the original equipment in World War II.
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, ordered four modern general purpose destroyers from the United States and eight modified s from Royal Schelde, but both contracts were canceled after the 1979 Iranian revolution. The destroyers were instead commissioned in the U.S. Navy as the , while construction of the frigates had not yet started.
Following this was the US-led arms embargo on Iran and the Iran–Iraq War. The arms embargo restricted Iran's ability to maintain and equip its navy. It had to find new sources of armaments. Equipment and weaponry were imported from the Soviet Union, China, North Korea and later, Russia. Iran acquired three Kilo-class submarines from Russia, as well as 10 Houdong fast attack craft from China. Russia and India were reportedly assisting Iran with training and operating its Kilo-class submarines. Iran acquired additional mine warfare capability, and upgraded some of its older surface ships.
In December 1997, Rear Admiral Mohammad Karim Tavakoli, commander of the First Naval Zone, with his headquarters at Bandar Abbas, claimed that the Iranian Navy had completed design work on three multirole corvettes and a small submarine, to be built in Iran.
2000–2020 In terms of major surface ships, Iran relied on its Alvand-class frigates, and the new Moudge-class frigates, which were indigenously developed in Iran and are reverse-engineered Alvand class with modern electronics, radar and armament. , its largest ships were four frigates and three corvettes. These ships are supported by three Russian-built SSK attack submarines and and mini submarines.
In December 2014, Iran conducted joint wargames involving the Iranian Army, Air Force and Navy. The naval phase took part in a wide area, ranging from the Persian Gulf to the northern Indian Ocean and to the Gulf of Aden. New systems were tested, including new anti-ship cruise missiles, an electro-magnetic and acoustic naval mine-sweeping system and the "Fateh" submarine.
In July 2016, the Navy said that it would establish a presence in the Atlantic Ocean, of unspecified duration.
In August 2019, Iran's navy deployed two warships, the destroyer Sahand and the supply ship/replenishment oiler Kharg, to the Gulf of Aden to protect commercial shipping. In September 2019, the head of the Iran navy said it was ready to defend its marine borders, and denied US and Saudi claims that Iran had orchestrated recent attacks on Saudi oil sites.
In November 2019, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported that Iran's navy had sent a fleet of 64 ships to the Gulf of Aden to "safeguard Iran's interests" in an "insecure seafaring region." The month prior, a maritime coalition led by the United States had launched operations in the Gulf of Aden.Iran’s Navy Dispatches Flotilla to Gulf of Aden, IRNA Reports bloomberg.com The Iran and US navies subsequently encountered each other in the Strait of Hormuz on 23 November 2019, with no conflict.
On 4 December 2019, the Iranian Navy's head Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi stated that the 'Marine Security Belt' exercises with China and Russia would begin on 27 December in the northern Indian Ocean. On 30 December 2019, Rear Admiral Khanzadi acknowledged during a televised interview with the semi-official Mehr News Agency that the Iranian Navy conducted joint exercises with Russia and China and will continue to do so on an annual basis. Khanzadi stated that the drills were now needed due to a lack of coordination. He also stated that invitations which invited other countries to participate in the drills were unsuccessful.
In December 2019, Khanzadi said that efforts by other countries to form alliances against Iran in the Persian Gulf were "pointless".
2020-present
In September 2022, for the first time, the Navy captured two U.S. Navy sea drones in the Red Sea. They were soon returned to U.S. control.
Iran developed an unknown number of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) in the early 2020s. The first confirmed attack by an Iranian USV took place during the 2026 Iran conflict.
In February 2023, Brazil gave permission for IRIS Makran and IRIS Dena to dock at Rio de Janeiro. In April 2023, the Iran Navy seized a Marshall Islands–flagged Suezmax tanker, the Advantage Sweet, laden with oil from Kuwait and bound for Houston, off Muscat. The US Navy said it was "at least the fifth commercial vessel [seized] by Tehran in the last two years". It appeared that the vessel managers were Turkish and the owner was Chinese. This seizure was in response to the U.S. seizing the Iran-origin cargo on the Suez Rajan off southeast Malaysia earlier in the month.
2026 Iran war In February 2026, the United States and Israel began to launch strikes on Iran. From early March 2026, the Navy began to suffer significant losses. Shortly after the beginning of the 2026 Iran war, on 1 March 2026, US President Donald Trump said nine IRIN vessels had been sunk. Iran has yet to confirm these numbers. On 3 March 2026, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that it had eliminated eleven Iranian naval vessels in the Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM provided video footage of the elimination of one vessel.
On 4 March 2026, Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of Defense, announced that a US submarine had sunk the IRIS Dena off the coast of Sri Lanka, between 6am and 7am local time (0:30 to 1:30 GMT), with a Mark 48 torpedo; periscope footage was released later. The ship was believed to have 180 personnel on board, and was underway after participating in the Indian International Fleet Review 2026 and MILAN exercises. Sri Lankan authorities reported recovering 87 bodies and 32 critically injured.
The operational status of the remainder of Iran's naval vessels remains unclear.
Other Iranian vessels, including the submarine IRIS Fateh, were reportedly destroyed or badly damaged in strikes linked to operations by the Israel Defense Forces and US forces. Because of these losses, analysts say parts of Iran's navy are becoming increasingly weakened and less effective in combat.
Ships
This listing is a composite of 'The Military Balance 2026' of the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) with provisional and unverified removals of ships / submarines sunk during the 2026 Iran War.
Between the 2020 and 2026 editions of the Military Balance, the Shahid Soleimani double-hull vessels were moved to the IRGC listing.
TypeIn serviceClassNotes Sub-surface warfare units (18 - 13 sunk, 2026 war) Attack submarine 0 Two more non-operational. Coastal submarine 0 Total of four planned; IISS 2026 lists 1. Lead ship IRIS Fateh sunk during 2026 war. Midget submarine 5+ Additional vessels in build. 11 destroyed by US military actions Patrol and Coastal Combatants (70) Corvette (+AShM/SAM) 0 Two ships sunk in 2026 war. IISS 2026: 1 + 1 non-operational. Corvette 0 Hamzeh class Converted from Shahsavar, a yacht formerly belonging to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Frigate (+AShM) 1 4th ship sunk in 1988. Alvand and Sabalan sunk during 2026 war. 0 UK Vosper Mk 5 mod. Four ships sunk during 2026 war. Jane's Fighting Ships considers this class guided-missile frigates (FFGs). Patrol Craft Fast I (+AShM/SAM) 10 French La Combattante II type fast attack craft. "Up to 10" listed by IISS 2026 before the beginning of the 2026 war. 1 Jane's Fighting Ships considers this class of vessel fast attack craft (PGGF). Four were sunk in the 2026 Iran war. Patrol boat (+AShM) 3 3 3 Jane's Fighting Ships considers this class of vessel PC or Patrol Craft Fast. Patrol Boat Fast (+Torpedo) 3 Patrol Boat Fast 1 Patrol boat 9 8 6 MkII class 10 MkIII class TypeIn serviceClassNotes Amphibious warfare units (23) Landing Ship Medium 3 Landing Ship Tank 3 Landing Ship Logistics 6 Landing Craft Tank 2 Landing Craft Air Cushion 2 Wellington Mk 4 4 Wellington Mk 5 2 Tondar Landing Craft Utility 1 LIAN 110 Logistics units (18) Auxiliary Submarine 1 Ammunition carrier 2 Auxiliary floating drydock 2 Cargo ship 3 Fleet replenishment oiler 2 IISS 2026 lists two vessels in service. Water tanker 4 1 Training craft 2 Kialas
In addition, there is the modified Jamaran (Moudge) class vessel, Zagros, an auxiliary intelligence-gathering ship (AGI). IISS 2026 also continues to list the expeditionary sea base Makran. She was struck by missiles and set afire while moored at Chabahar Port.
Current aircraft AircraftOriginTypeVariantIn serviceNotes Fixed-wing aircraft Dassault Falcon 20 France transport 1 Fokker F27 Netherlands transport 4 Helicopters Bell 212 United States transport AB-212 8 Mil Mi-17 Russia transport 5 Sikorsky SH-3 United States anti-submarine S-61/ASH-3D 8 Sikorsky CH-53 United States mine countermeasures S-65/RH-53D 6
Former ships
Planned ships
Structure Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea The Iranian Navy is divided into three naval districts in the Persian Gulf and in the Arabian Sea. The vast majority of surface ships and submarines operate in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea.
In 1977, the bulk of the fleet was shifted from Khorramshahr to the new headquarters at Bandar-e Abbas. Bushehr was the other main base. Smaller facilities were located at Khorramshahr, Khark Island, and Bandar-e Imam Khomeini (formerly known as Bandar-e Shahpur).
The naval base at Bandar Beheshti (formerly known as Chah Bahar) on the Gulf of Oman had been under construction since the late 1970s and in late 1987 still was not completed. Smaller facilities were located near the Strait of Hormuz.
Smaller facilities include: Abu Musa – small docking facility on the island's west end; located near Abu Musa Airport Bandar Beheshti (Chah Bahar) – port and base facilities in the Gulf of Oman Bandar-e Khomeini – small sheltered base located near the border with Iraq Bandar-e Mahshahr – small base located near Bandar-e Khomeini