| Iranian Navy | |
|---|---|
| Leadership | |
| Rear Admiral | Habibollah Sayyari |
| Branches and manpower | |
| Navy | 13,400 |
| Marines | 2,600 |
| Aviation | 2,000 |
| History | |
| History of the Iranian Navy | |
| Personnel | |
| List of Iranian Navy senior officers | |
| Iran's Navy Ranks Insignia | |
| Equipment | |
| Historical Vessels | |
| Current Vessels | |
Traditionally, located in the shallow waters of the Persian Gulf, the Iranian navy has always been the smallest of its military forces. An Iranian navy in one form or another has existed since Achaemenid times in 500 BC; however, except for the Achaemanid navy, none of the following navies were particularly well organised or strong. It was only with the Pahlavi dynasty in the 20th century that Iran began to consider building a strong navy to project its strength into the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. In more recent years, the country has engaged in domestic ship building industries in response to the western-backed first Gulf War (also known as the Iran-Iraq war), which left it without suppliers during an invasion.
Contents |
The Imperial Iranian Navy (IIN) was the name of Iran's navy, until the Iranian Revolution in 1979.
It was nearly destroyed during a surprise attack by Britain and the Soviet Union in World War II, which began the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran. Numerous Iranian ships were sunk or damaged while still moored at their home ports.
The Imperial Iranian Navy regained control of the Tunb and Abu Musa islands on 30 November 1971, following the British withdrawal from these islands.
Since before 1971, the navy had been supplied primarily with American and British equipment. Up until 1979, Iran rapidly modernized their navy, adding American and British-made destroyers, frigates and many smaller vessels, including hovercraft.
With the fall of the Shah in the revolution of 1979, the Imperial Iranian Navy was renamed as the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy. From then on, the United States began economic sanctions, severely hampering Iran's ability to maintain and equip its Navy. In fact, the Navy was more severely affected than the Army or Air Force. Several of Iran's ships had to be laid up. Battles fought with Iraq and the United States during the Iran-Iraq war, also degraded Iran's conventional naval assets.
In place of western equipment, Iran has purchased equipment from Russia, China, and North Korea, as well as engaging in naval exercises with Pakistan and India. The 1990s saw Iran focusing on building up its fleets of patrol boats and submarines, as well as surface-to-surface, anti-ship missiles.
Iran's goal has always been to provide escort for Iranian shipping in the Persian Gulf, as well as being able to disrupt enemy shipping, as was witnessed in the Iran–Iraq War.
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