Security
IRGC's navy harasses civilian ships during Gulf 'peace' exercise
The challenges to civilian vessels come as IRGC naval forces unveil new underground missile facility and naval base for assault boats.
![An IRGC Navy Harth 55 vessel conducted an unsafe and unprofessional action by crossing the bow of a US Coast Guard patrol boat in the southern waters of the Gulf on April 2, 2021, forcing the US ship to conduct a defensive maneuver. The US vessel was conducting a routine maritime security patrol in international waters at the time of the incident. [US Navy]](/gc3/images/2025/02/06/49055-irgc-navy-vessel-370_237.webp)
By Fariba Raad |
Maritime agencies warn that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is likely behind recent attempts to interfere with civilian vessels in the Gulf, despite its claims to be promoting "peace and friendship" through military drills.
Vessels in Gulf waters have received multiple challenges via their maritime radios, including demands to alter course and head for Iranian territorial waters.
On January 24, a small military craft moved toward a vessel northeast of Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura in an incident the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) described as a "suspicious approach."
Flashing a green laser light, the military craft kept hailing the vessel, attempting to direct it into Iranian territorial waters, UKMTO said, advising vessels "to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity."
The ship maintained its course and proceeded safely to its next port of call, Reuters reported.
The incident took place during an Iranian naval exercise in the Strait of Hormuz, dubbed Great Prophet 19, which included units from IRGC's Navy.
The drill is part of Iran's annual Eqtedar ("Might") military exercise, which runs through mid-March.
The Joint Maritime Information Center, which distributes information to the shipping industry in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden, said the January 24 incident was likely connected to the Iranian military exercise.
Peace claims ring hollow
IRGC naval commander Alireza Tangsiri said the Iranian military exercise represents "a message of peace and friendship for neighboring countries."
But his statement was undermined by a February 1 state television report announcing that IRGC naval forces had simultaneously unveiled a new underground missile facility on Iran's southern coast, AFP reported.
The facility houses "hundreds of cruise missiles," including the new Ghadr-380 model (Qader), which Tangsiri boasted could "create hell for enemy vessels."
In January, the IRGC revealed an underground naval base for assault boats operating in Iran's southern waters, including the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian regime's limited naval capabilities force it to rely on psychological tactics, Berlin-based defense and security analyst Babak Taghvaee told Pishtaz.
He dismissed Tangsiri's peace message as "a temporary attempt to buy time and rebuild lost ground in the region."
"The situation in the area remains highly volatile," according to the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), whose routes pass through the Gulf and surrounding waters.
MSC noted that "unlawful actions" in the Gulf are "detrimental to the safety of maritime trade in international waters."
"International shipping has been subjected to unnecessary harassment and extra insurance costs that will ultimately reflect in market prices and be borne by the consumer," it said.