The Iranian “Mosquito Fleet” – the biggest threat in the Strait of Hormuz

Sofia Hedberg

Updated 00.24 | Published 00.12

Small, fast and agile.

But the biggest threat in the Strait of Hormuz.

In the shadows lurks the Iranian “Mosquito Fleet”.

The ships in the Strait of Hormuz are resting quietly. One hour the passage is open and the next hour it is closed.

The situation is tense and the remains of Iranian warships that have been attacked by Israel and the US are at the ports along the Persian Gulf coast. But in the middle of them hides the Iranian “Mosquito Fleet”, writes the New York Times.

It is a central part of the Revolutionary Guards navy and at the same time it is separate from Iran’s regular fleet. With the main task of disrupting shipping.

Hundreds to thousands

The advantage is that they are small, discreet, mobile and fast, unlike the Iranian military's larger ships and all the oil tankers waiting in the Persian Gulf. They are also often too small to be visible on satellite images, which makes it difficult to know how many are in the strait.

The estimate: From hundreds to thousands.

Iran can fire missiles and drones from the small boats, and thus not be detected as easily. This means that they do not have to rely on large warships and can instead focus on quick, shorter attacks.

 

Ships anchored in the Strait of Hormuz Photo: /AP/TT

"Guerrilla force at sea"

Analysts believe that they are moored along piers in deep caves along the coast.

- The Revolutionary Guard fleet functions more like a guerrilla force at sea, Saeid Golkar tells the newspaper. He is an expert on the Revolutionary Guard and a professor of political science at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga.

On Saturday, Iran announced that it had once again closed the Strait of Hormuz and that it is now under Iran's "strict command and control." This after the strait was opened and closed following several statements from both the United States and Iran in recent days.

The strait will be closed until the US naval blockade of Iranian ports is lifted, they write.

They also issued a warning to ships in the strait and urged everyone not to leave their anchorage in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of ​​Oman.

"Approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and the offending ship will be targeted."