Iran equips its navy with missiles and UAVs.

Iran has equipped the naval branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) with drones and missiles with a range of up to 1,000 km, amid escalating tensions with the US in the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported on August 5.

The decision comes after the U.S. military said this week it was considering deploying armed guards on commercial vessels transiting the strategic strait to prevent Iran from seizing or harassing civilian ships. Tehran typically claims that seized vessels violate shipping regulations.

Missile systems were present at an IRGC naval event.

Referring to the possibility of a US military presence on commercial vessels, Iranian armed forces spokesman General Abolfazl Shekarchi said that countries in the region are fully capable of defending their surrounding waters.

"What do the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Indian Ocean have to do with the United States? What are you doing here?", Iran's Tasnim news agency quoted Shekarchi as saying.

Iran's state news agency IRNA reported that the IRGC's weapons, including "various types of drones… along with hundreds of cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 300 to 1,000 km," were among the military systems and equipment "added to the capabilities of the IRGC naval forces today."

IRGC Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri told Iranian state television on August 5 that the new missiles are more accurate and have a longer range. "The cruise missiles can strike multiple targets simultaneously and can change their targeting orders after takeoff," Tangsiri said.

Since 2019, tensions between the US and Iran have escalated due to ship seizures in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow gateway connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, located between Iran and Oman. It is also the only sea corridor from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean, and approximately one-fifth of the world 's crude oil passes through this strait.

The strategic location of the Strait of Hormuz

The prospect of the U.S. military deploying armed forces on commercial vessels could further escalate tensions in the Gulf. Currently, the U.S. has deployed A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-16, and F-35 fighter jets, as well as the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner and other warships to the region.

On August 3, the IRGC conducted a military exercise on disputed islands in the Gulf involving small boats, paratroopers, and missile units.

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