IRGCN Archives - Maritime Shipping News

U.S. Sending Destroyer, F-35s, F-16s to Protect Merchant Ships in Middle East

17 July 2023

Guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) transits the Suez Canal July 14, 2023. US Navy Photo

The U.S. is sending a mix of Air Force fighters and a guided-missile destroyer to escort ships in and out of the Persian Gulf, a Pentagon press secretary said Monday.

The U.S. is dispatching a mix of F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighters and F-16 Falcon fighters to supplement forces already in U.S. Central Command as Iranian forces continue to attempt to seize merchant ships in and around...

https://news.usni.org/2023/07/17/u-s-sending-destroyer-f-35s-f-16s-to-protect-merchant-ships-in-middle-east

Iranian Navy Says They Had Court Order to Seize Tanker Richmond Voyager

7 July 2023

Iranian Navy corvette IRINS Bayandor (81) on July 6, 2023. US Navy Photo

Officials in Tehran are claiming the warship that attempted to seize an oil tanker operating off the coast of Oman acted under a court order, according to Iranian state-controlled media.

Iranian search and rescue officials claimed oil tanker Richmond Voyager collided with an Iranian vessel injuring five crew members, the official IRINN news agency reported.

As a result, Tehran deployed the Iranian Navy corvette IRINS Bayandor

https://news.usni.org/2023/07/06/iranian-navy-says-they-had-court-order-to-seize-tanker-richmond-voyager

U.S. 5th Fleet Increasing Patrols in Strait of Hormuz in Response to Iranian Seizures

12 May 2023

A screenshot of a video showing fast-attack craft from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy swarming Panama-flagged oil tanker Niovi as it transits the Strait of Hormuz, May 3, 2023. US Navy Photo

U.S. 5th Fleet, along with other allies in the Middle East, will increase the number of ships and aircraft patrolling the Strait of Hormuz in response to Iran’s recent seizures of merchant vessels, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command announced Friday.

The increased patrols are meant to deter any...

https://news.usni.org/2023/05/12/u-s-5th-fleet-increasing-patrols-in-strait-of-hormuz-in-response-to-iranian-seizures

VIDEO: Iran Seizes Second Oil Tanker in Less Than a Week

3 May 2023

Iranian forces have seized the second oil tanker in less than a week, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command announced in a Wednesday release.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy seized Panama-flagged oil tanker Niovi while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to the NAVCENT...

https://news.usni.org/2023/05/03/video-iran-seizes-second-oil-tanker-in-less-than-a-week

UPDATED: Iranian Naval Forces Seize Tanker Advantage Sweet in Gulf of Oman

27 April 2023

Tanker Advantage Sweet. Advantage Tanker ImageThis post will be updated as new information becomes available.

Iranian naval forces seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, U.S. 5th Fleet announced.

The Marshall Island-flagged Advantage Sweet was captured at 1:15 p.m. local time on Thursday about 40 miles east of Fujairah, UAE south of the Strait of Hormuz, according to merchant ship traffic data from Marine Traffic.

The oil tanker had departed from Kuwait and was headed for Houston,...

https://news.usni.org/2023/04/27/centcom-iranian-naval-forces-seize-tanker-advantage-sweet-in-gulf-of-oman

Iran Building Drone Aircraft Carrier from Converted Merchant Ship, Photos Show

4 January 2023

November image circulating on Iranian social media showing Shahid Mahdavi in Bandar Abbas. H I Sutton Photo Illustration

In a dry dock near the entrance to the Persian Gulf, Iran’s sectarian naval force is converting a former merchant container ship into a drone aircraft carrier, according to satellite and open source photos published last week by USNI News contributor H I Sutton.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy ship Shahid Mahdavi is a former Iranian-flagged container ship that is getting...

https://news.usni.org/2023/01/03/iran-building-drone-aircraft-carrier-from-converted-merchant-ship-photos-show

Iranian Patrol Boat Harasses Pair of U.S. Warships, Says CENTCOM

7 December 2022

The expeditionary mobile base platform ship USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB-3) transits the Strait of Hormuz on Oct. 22, 2018. Puller is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points. US Navy photo

A pair of U.S. warships were harassed by an Iranian patrol boat during a late evening transit in...

https://news.usni.org/2022/12/06/iranian-patrol-boat-harasses-pair-of-u-s-warships-says-centcom

VIDEO: Navy Blocks Iranian Attempt to Steal U.S. Surface Drone in Persian Gulf

30 August 2022

IRGCN ship Shahid Baziar attempts t o capture a U.S. Saildrone in the Persian Gulf on Aug. 30, 2022. US Navy Image

The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy attempted to capture a U.S. Navy unmanned surface vessel that was operating in the Arabian Gulf on Monday and Tuesday, U.S. 5th Fleet said in a statement.

The Navy stopped the IRGCN support ship from capturing the Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessel, which was not named in the news release. The USV does not store sensitive or...

https://news.usni.org/2022/08/30/video-navy-blocks-iranian-attempt-to-steal-u-s-surface-drone-in-persian-gulf

Potential New Stealth Missile Boat Under Construction In Iran

30 June 2022

Photo Courtesy of Google Earth

A new vessel has been observed under construction in Iran, according to satellite imagery.

The unidentified catamaran is characterized by a clean-angled form, appearing stealthier than earlier types, and could be a missile boat.

It is located at Qeshm Madkandaloo Shipbuilding Cooperative Co. shipyard on the island of Qeshm and is visible in Airbus commercial satellite imagery shared publicly on Google Earth.

The new boat is seen next to another new missile catamaran,...

https://news.usni.org/2022/06/30/potential-new-stealth-missile-boat-under-construction-in-iran

VIDEO: 3 Iranian Fast Attack Craft Harass U.S. Navy Ships in Strait of Hormuz

21 June 2022

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) operating in an unsafe and unprofessional manner in close proximity to patrol coastal ship USS Sirocco (PC-6) and expeditionary fast transport USNS Choctaw County (T-EPF-2) in the Strait of Hormuz, June 20, 2022. US Navy Photo

Three Iranian fast attack craft harassed two U.S. Navy ships entering the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, Navy officials told USNI News.

Cyclone-class patrol coastal ship USS Sirocco (PC-6) and Spearhead-class USNS Choctaw County (T-EP...

https://news.usni.org/2022/06/21/video-3-iranian-fast-attack-craft-harass-u-s-navy-ships-in-strait-of-hormuz

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