The launch of Operation Epic Fury on February 28, a joint U.S.–Israeli strike, severely damaged Iran’s naval capabilities, particularly its conventional Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN). These attacks devastated numerous frigates, corvettes, and submarines at port and at sea, including the Moudge-class frigates IRIS _Jamaran_, _Sahand_, and _Dena_, with the _Dena_ sunk by a USS _Charlotte_ torpedo south of Sri Lanka.
Strikes also targeted key naval infrastructure at Bandar Abbas, Chah Bahar, Bushehr, and Bandar Anzali, destroying most of Iran’s Caspian fleet and reducing IRGC speedboat inventory by 70 percent. The campaign also "decapitated" naval leadership, killing IRGCN head Commodore Alireza Tangsiri and deputy chief Behnam Rezaei. While the IRIN suffered crippling losses, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) remains dangerous due to its decentralized structure and asymmetric warfare tactics, including land-based missiles, drones, and speedboats. This engagement underscores the vulnerability of conventional fleets to superior forces and will likely solidify Iran’s reliance on asymmetric strategies.
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