Islamic Republic of Iran Navy 🇮🇷
Key facts
| Official Name | Islamic Republic of Iran Navy |
| Country | 🇮🇷 Iran |
| World rank | #21 |
| Ships in service | 90 (as of 2026) |
| Total ships | 90 |
| Naval ensign |
|
Number of active ships by category
| Ship category | Active | |
|---|---|---|
| Amphibious ships | 24 | |
| Patrol boats | 21 | |
| Support ships | 17 | |
| Other ships | 11 | |
| Frigates | 7 | |
| Submarines | 6 | |
| Corvettes | 3 | |
| Mine Warfare ships | 1 | |
Global Navy Index
| 🚢 Capital Ships | 0 | Aircraft carriers & cruisers (highest weight) |
| ⚓ Major Combatants | 13 | Destroyers, submarines & frigates |
| 🚤 Light Combatants | 27 | Corvettes & amphibious vessels |
| ⛵ Minor Vessels | 22 | Patrol, coastal & mine warfare |
| 📊 Total Active | 90 | Combat vessels (auxiliaries excluded) |
Methodology: Square root scaled index weighted by ship combat capability. Capital ships score highest due to force projection capability. Auxiliary vessels are excluded.
Overview
Iran maintains two parallel naval forces: the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN), a conventional fleet tasked with blue-water operations in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN), which controls the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz through asymmetric means — fast attack craft, naval mines, and shore-based anti-ship missiles.
The IRGCN constitutes the more operationally active branch. Its doctrine relies on swarming tactics using hundreds of small, fast boats, combined with a dense network of coastal cruise and ballistic missiles to create an anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) zone across the Strait of Hormuz. The IRIN, by contrast, fields larger surface combatants and submarines for conventional deterrence and power projection. Iran's Kilo-class and Fateh-class submarines remain its most credible naval assets.
Tehran invested heavily in indigenous shipbuilding over the past two decades, producing the Moudge-class frigates, Sina-class fast attack craft, and converting oil tankers into forward base ships capable of deploying helicopters and drones at long range. The IRIS Makran, commissioned in 2021, enabled Iran's first transatlantic naval deployment alongside the frigate IRIS Sahand — a significant milestone for a navy historically confined to regional waters.
Operation Epic Fury (February 28 – March 2026) fundamentally altered this trajectory. U.S. strikes on Bandar Abbas and Konarak naval bases destroyed the core of the IRIN's surface fleet in under 48 hours: both Moudge-class frigates (Jamaran, Sahand), the Alvand-class frigate Sabalan, both surviving Bayandor-class corvettes, and the Makran. The losses eliminated Iran's entire indigenous frigate program, its sole power projection platform, and some of the oldest commissioned warships in any active navy. The IRIN's capacity for sustained operations beyond the Persian Gulf has been effectively neutralized, leaving the IRGCN's asymmetric posture as Iran's primary maritime capability.
Recent fleet changes
| Date | Ship | Event | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Mar 2026 | Moudge — IRIS Dena | Sunk ✝ | Torpedoed and sunk by U.S. submarine 20 nautical miles south of Galle, Sri Lanka. Detail → |
| 4 Mar 2026 | Shahid Soleimani — IRIS Shahid Sayyad Shirazi | Sunk ✝ | Struck and sunk near Bandar Abbas during Operation Epic Fury. Detail → |
| 1 Mar 2026 | Moudge — IRIS Jamaran | Sunk ✝ | Sunk by U.S. airstrikes at Konarak NB near Chabahar during Operation Epic Fury. Detail → |
| 1 Mar 2026 | Bayandor — IRIS Bayandor | Sunk ✝ | Sunk by U.S. strikes at Konarak NB during Operation Epic Fury. Detail → |
| 1 Mar 2026 | Bayandor — IRIS Naghdi | Sunk ✝ | Sunk at Konarak NB alongside sister ship Bayandor during Operation Epic Fury. Detail → |
| 1 Mar 2026 | Moudge — IRIS Sahand | Sunk ✝ | Assessed sunk at Bandar Abbas by U.S. strikes during Operation Epic Fury. Detail → |
| 1 Mar 2026 | Makran — IRIS Makran | Destroyed ✝ | Struck and set ablaze at Bandar Abbas during Operation Epic Fury. Detail → |
| 1 Mar 2026 | Fateh | Sunk ✝ | Sunk at Bandar Abbas during U.S. strikes, hull breached by precision munitions. Detail → |
| 28 Feb 2026 | Alvand — IRIS Sabalan | Sunk ✝ | Sunk at Bandar Abbas during opening salvo of Operation Epic Fury. Detail → |
| 28 Feb 2026 | Shahid Bagheri — IRIS Shahid Bagheri | Destroyed ✝ | Struck and destroyed at Bandar Abbas during opening hours of Operation Epic Fury. Detail → |
Detailed inventory of Iranian Navy
Amphibious ships
| Type | Class | Ship Name | Hull Number | Status | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landing Craft Air Cushion | BH.7 | 101 | Active | 1970 | |
| BH.7 | 102 | Active | 1971 | ||
| BH.7 | 103 | Active | 1974 | ||
| BH.7 | 104 | Active | 1974 | ||
| BH.7 | 105 | Active | 1974 | ||
| BH.7 | 106 | Active | 1975 | ||
| Landing Ship, Heavy | Hengam | IRIS Hengam | 511 | Active | 1974 |
| Hengam | IRIS Larak | 512 | Active | 1974 | |
| Hengam | IRIS Tonb | 513 | Active | 1985 | |
| Hengam | IRIS Lavan | 514 | Active | 1985 | |
| Landing ship logistics | Karbala | IRIS Fouque | 101 | Active | 1998 |
| Karbala | IRIS Qeshm | 504 | Active | - | |
| Karbala | IRIS Hormoz | 505 | Active | - | |
| Karbala | IRIS Farour | 506 | Active | - | |
| Karbala | 507 | Active | - | ||
| Karbala | 508 | Active | - | ||
| Landing Craft Air Cushion | SR.N6 | 1 | Active | 1973 | |
| SR.N6 | 2 | Active | 1973 | ||
| SR.N6 | 3 | Active | 1973 | ||
| SR.N6 | 4 | Active | 1974 | ||
| SR.N6 | 5 | Active | 1974 | ||
| SR.N6 | 6 | Active | 1975 | ||
| SR.N6 | 7 | Active | 1975 | ||
| SR.N6 | 8 | Active | 1975 |
Corvettes
| Type | Class | Ship Name | Hull Number | Status | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corvette | Bayandor | 81 | Active | 1964 | |
| Bayandor | 82 | Active | 1964 | ||
| Hamzeh | IRIS Hamzeh | 802 | Active | 1936 |
Frigates
| Type | Class | Ship Name | Hull Number | Status | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frigate | Alvand | IRIS Alvand | 71 | Active | 1971 |
| Alvand | IRIS Alborz | 72 | Active | 1971 | |
| Alvand | 73 | Active | 1972 | ||
| Moudge | 76 | Active | 2010 | ||
| Moudge | IRIS Damavand | 77 | Active | 2015 | |
| Moudge | 74 | Active | 2018 | ||
| Moudge | 75 | Active | 2021 |
Mine Warfare ships
| Type | Class | Ship Name | Hull Number | Status | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minehunter | Shahin | IRIS Shahin | M111 | Active | 2021 |
Other ships
| Type | Class | Ship Name | Hull Number | Status | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cargo ship | Delvar | IRIS Charak | 481 | Active | 1982 |
| Delvar | IRIS Chiroo | 482 | Active | 1982 | |
| Delvar | IRIS Souru | 483 | Active | 1982 | |
| Water carrier | Delvar | IRIS Deylam | 424 | Active | 1982 |
| Tanker ship | Kangan | IRIS Kangan | 411 | Active | 1978 |
| Kangan | IRIS Taheri | 412 | Active | 1979 | |
| Kangan | IRIS Shahid Marjni | Active | - | ||
| Kangan | IRIS Amir | Active | - | ||
| Expeditionary Sea Base Forward Base Ship | Makran | 441 | Active | 2021 | |
| Forward Base Ship Drone Carrier | Shahi Mahdavi | IRIS Shahid Mahdavi | 110-3 | Active | 2023 |
| Expeditionary Sea Base | Shahid Roudaki | IRIS Shahid Roudaki | 110-1 | Active | 2020 |
Patrol boats
| Type | Class | Ship Name | Hull Number | Status | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrol craft | Kaivan | IRIS Kaivan | 201 | Active | 1956 |
| Kaivan | IRIS Tiran | 202 | Active | 1957 | |
| Kaivan | IRIS Mahan | 204 | Active | 1959 | |
| Fast attack craft | Kaman | IRIS Kaman | P221 | Active | 1977 |
| Kaman | IRIS Xoubin | P222 | Active | 1977 | |
| Kaman | IRIS Khadang | P223 | Active | 1978 | |
| Kaman | IRIS Falakhon | P226 | Active | 1978 | |
| Kaman | IRIS Shamshir | P227 | Active | 1978 | |
| Kaman | IRIS Gorz | P228 | Active | 1978 | |
| Kaman | IRIS Gardouneh | P229 | Active | 1978 | |
| Kaman | IRIS Khanjar | P230 | Active | 1981 | |
| Kaman | IRIS Neyzeh | P231 | Active | 1981 | |
| Kaman | IRIS Tabarzin | P232 | Active | 1981 | |
| Patrol craft | Parvin | IRIS Parvin | 211 | Active | 1967 |
| Parvin | IRIS Bahram | 212 | Active | 1969 | |
| Parvin | IRIS Nahid | 213 | Active | 1970 | |
| Fast attack craft | Sina | IRIS Paykan | P224 | Active | 2003 |
| Sina | IRIS Joshan | P225 | Active | 2006 | |
| Sina | IRIS Derafsh | P233 | Active | 2009 | |
| Sina | IRIS Separ | P234 | Active | 2017 | |
| Sina | IRIS Zereh | P235 | Active | 2021 |
Submarines
| Type | Class | Ship Name | Hull Number | Status | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal submarine | Fateh | IRIS Fateh | 920 | Active | 2019 |
| Midget submarine | Ghadir | Active | 2007 | ||
| Attack submarine | Kilo | IRIS Taregh | 901 | Active | 1992 |
| Kilo | IRIS Nooh | 902 | Active | 1993 | |
| Kilo | IRIS Yunes | 903 | Active | 1996 | |
| Midget submarine | Nahang | IRIS Nahang 1 | Active | 2006 |
Support ships
| Type | Class | Ship Name | Hull Number | Status | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Replenishment ship | Bandar Abbas | IRIS Bandar Abbas | 421 | Active | 1974 |
| Bandar Abbas | IRIS Bushehr | 422 | Active | 1974 | |
| Ammunition ship | Delvar | IRIS Delvar | 471 | Active | 1982 |
| Delvar | IRIS Sirjan | 472 | Active | 1982 | |
| Support ship | Delvar | IRIS Dayer | Active | 1982 | |
| Tender ship | Hendijan | IRIS Macham | Active | 1985 | |
| Hendijan | IRIS Khoramshahr | Active | 1985 | ||
| Hendijan | IRIS Hendijan | 1401 | Active | 1987 | |
| Hendijan | IRIS Sirik | 1402 | Active | 1989 | |
| Hendijan | IRIS Konarak | 1403 | Active | 1988 | |
| Hendijan | IRIS Gavatar | 1404 | Active | 1990 | |
| Hendijan | IRIS Moqam | 1405 | Active | 1992 | |
| Hendijan | IRIS Bahregan | Active | 1992 | ||
| Hendijan | IRIS Kalat | 1407 | Active | 1987 | |
| Hendijan | IRIS Ganaveh | Active | 1988 | ||
| Hendijan | IRIS Rostami | 1409 | Active | 1993 | |
| Hendijan | IRIS Nayband | Active | 1993 |