Iran's naval forces suffer heavy losses during the first week of US and Israeli attacks, but challenges for allied forces in the region continue.
Iran lost at least seven ships anchored at two of its bases, along with critical naval infrastructure, and the entrance to an underground naval facility in the Strait of Hormuz was hit, according to New York Times analysis of satellite data and video.
While the attacks have primarily targeted Iran's tactical fleet, known as the Islamic Republic Navy, Iran also has another naval force under the command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which specializes in asymmetric warfare. In addition to traditional warships, this fleet includes a large number of fast, unmanned vessels that are harder to hit.
The Revolutionary Guards' naval force is primarily responsible for securing the Straits of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. In practice, this means that the US must carry out powerful strikes to ensure full navigation.
Security analysts, such as Nicholas Carl from Washington, say: "The destruction of Iran's tactical fleet ships is a major advance, but Iran still has ways to threaten ships, especially merchant ships, in the Persian Gulf."
According to a New York Times analysis, at least 10 merchant ships have been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz and related waters between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Most report being hit by “unidentified projectiles,” suggesting the use of naval drones or small craft.
Kesme Island
The damage is visible at a base on Kesme Island in the Strait of Hormuz. The base includes an underground bay that houses manned and unmanned speedboats, including suicide boats packed with explosives, according to a report by Farzin Nadimi, a security and defense analyst specializing in Iran and the Persian Gulf.
Bandar Abbas
A major naval base at Bandar Abbas, 10 miles north of Qesme, also suffered heavy losses. Multiple attacks indicate that both the Iranian navy and Revolutionary Guard vessels were unable to flee in anticipation of an attack.
Yesterday, the US military struck a Revolutionary Guard drone carrier near the base. US officials said it had been hit earlier but continued to sail in the Bandar Abbas area without any significant visible damage.
The videos show an attack on one of Iran's newest ships, a catamaran corvette with Stealth missiles. The Revolutionary Guards have only four of the advanced warships, according to The Military Balance 2026, an assessment of the armed forces published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Konarak
The destruction at the Konarak naval base shows how seriously the US attacks have degraded Iran's regular navy. Three warships sank there while anchored at the pier, and satellite images show ships submerged or partially sunk.
Konarak is a regional naval headquarters responsible for operations in the waters off the country’s southeastern coast. The attacks there “dealt a significant blow to the Iranian Navy’s surface fleet and immediately began to reduce their presence around the Gulf of Oman,” Karl said in an email.
The destruction of the base occurred while the US Navy's Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group was operating near the Gulf of Oman, southeast of Konarak.
Eight buildings on the base, near the sunken ships, were destroyed or damaged, according to satellite images. They also showed attacks on nearby drone and aircraft bases.
Damage was also visible at the Jask naval base in the Gulf of Oman and at a naval base in Asalouyeh in the Persian Gulf.
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