What she's lost Polish Navy Iran in the first days of war?

The last days have proved to be extremely painful for Iran's Navy. In just a few days, a series of strikes occurred in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman, which, according to the information provided by the CENTCOM commander, led to the destruction of more than thirty vessels belonging to Iranian naval forces.

Friday favors summary. It is worth looking at what has disappeared from the list of Iranian fleet units since the beginning of the war.

Torpedo from the deep — IRIS fregata end Dena

The loudest event of recent days was no doubt an attack on the IRIS frigate Dena. The unit belonged to the newer submarines of Iran Navy and was inducted into service in 2021. We wrote about this event on our website (link to text)

On March 4, the ship was located in Indian Ocean waters, about 40 nautical miles from the Sri Lankan coast. Fregata returned from international naval exercises conducted in the waters of India.

According to available information, a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine launched a heavy Mk-48 torpedo that exploded in the unit's stern area. The impact proved disastrous – the ship lost its ability to maintain buoyancy in a short time and sank.

According to emergency services, at least 87 crew members were killed as a result of the explosion. Several dozen sailors were rescued, while many were found missing.

In the historical dimension, this event has additional pronunciation. This was the first case in many decades in which an American submarine sank the enemy's warship using torpedoes under conditions a real conflict.

The Gulf of Oman: hitting the Moudge Corvette

It is also worth recalling that on March 1, US forces hit an Iranian submarine in the port of Chah Bahar over the Oman Gulf. According to U.S. CENTCOM, the target was a Moudge-type corvette belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (link to text).

Such units are among the most important NEDAJA submarines operating in the southern waters of the country. Although in the Iranian nomenclature they are referred to as destroyers, at a displacement of about 1500 tonnes they are classified as large corvettes.

According to some reports after the impact, the ship was to be stranded within the port. However, this information was not officially confirmed.

Konarak – Iran's gateway to the Indian Ocean

It is also worth noting the importance of the Chabahar-Konarak region itself to the Iranian maritime strategy. It is here that the only naval base of Iran is located directly above the waters of the Arab Sea, and thus beyond the Persian Gulf and the narrow Strait of Ormuz.

This allows Iranian ships to go out into the open waters of the Indian Ocean without having to pass through one of the world's most sensitive "narrow throats". In recent years, remote patrols of Iranian warships have been conducted from this area, which operated far in the North Indian Ocean.

In the first days of the fighting, satellite images depicting an Iranian warship standing at the waterfront in Konarak were also featured. Above the unit there was dense dark smoke, suggesting serious damage or fire. Due to opacity, it was difficult to determine clearly the type of ship, although some analysts indicated that its figure might correspond Alvand frigate. However, this information needs to be confirmed.

Iranian drone pilot on fire

A few days earlier, there was an impact on the unit that Tehran portrayed as a symbol of the increasing ambition of the sea.

It's IRIS. Shahid Bagheri – a rebuilt container ship acting as a carrier of unmanned aircraft. The ship did not enter service until 2025 and was to operate drones far from Iran's coast.

According to U.S. Central Command information, the unit was hit in the first hours of operations against Iran and caught fire. The attack took place as part of a broader effort against Iran's military infrastructure.

From a propaganda perspective, this was a particularly severe loss – the ship was presented as evidence that Iran could carry unmanned activities to the full sea.

Catamaran of the Revolutionary Guards sunk

In the first days of the fighting, there were also reports of the sinking of a unit belonging to the marine component of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to information published in American media, a ship of type was to be hit Shahid Soleimani – a light corvette in the catamaran system intended for activities in the Gulf Coast.

Units of this type have a displacement of about 600 tonnes and have been designed for rapid impact operations near their own bases. Despite their small size, they are relatively heavily armed – they can carry anti-ship missiles, light artillery weapons and fast combat boats. If information about the sinking of this unit is confirmed, it will be another loss among the ships used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

Reports of possible loss of submarine

Media circulation also reported the alleged loss of Iran's submarine. The part of transfers shall indicate the unit of type Fateh – a small coastal submarine launched in 2019 as part of Iran's national submarine development programme.

At the moment, however, these are largely unverified reports. There are no confirmations in industry sources or satellite materials indicating the loss of such a unit.

One must also remember one thing – submarine is one of the most difficult targets for "confirmation". He can be in the deep sea, he can operate in the open ocean, and for a long time he can not appear at all in the information space. Therefore, at this stage, information on its sinking should be treated with great care.

Over thirty units – impact scale

According to information provided by the U.S. Command, more than thirty units of the fleet were destroyed during Operation "Epicka Furia" against Iran. These include both larger ships and smaller units used by the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps.

If this data is confirmed, it will be one of the most serious impacts on Iran's maritime potential throughout its modern history. However, it should be stressed that the number of destroyed units reported by the US side has not yet been independently confirmed.

Under wartime conditions, operational communications often also have a propaganda dimension. This also applies to countries with developed democratic systems, which in official communications can present a scale of success in beneficial for your own narrative.

In this situation, it is the United States, acting as an aggressor, that conduct offensive actions against Iran. Therefore, information on the loss scale of the Iranian fleet should be taken with caution. The actual impact balance can only be assessed after independent confirmations, such as satellite images or intelligence analysis, appear.

First days of war the Iranian fleet will not forget

Not long ago, Tehran boasted of new ships, unmanned craft operating from the deck of ships, and plans to increase its presence in the distant waters.

The last few days have brutally verified these ambitions.

Flooded frigate, destroyed drone carrier, lost submarine, and dozens of other units – the balance sheet looks as if someone had recently erased much of the Iranian naval forces' modernisation effort.

And this is only the beginning of events whose consequences for maritime safety in the region and the balance of forces at sea can be felt for a long time.