The United States destroyed a key Iranian naval base in the Straight of Hormuz, sinking many vessels present, as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the shipping lane was officially closed.
In his first address to the U.S. public, less than two hours after the strikes began on Saturday, President Donald Trump singled out Iran’s navy, pledging that the military would be “annihilating” it. The U.S. has begun to follow through on that promise, with satellite imagery of Iran’s Bandar Abbas showing it engulfed in smoke, with several vessels sunk or heavily damaged.
The Bandar Abbas base serves as the headquarters of Iran’s Navy, and its primary instrument for controlling the Strait of Hormuz. Anticipating Iranian efforts to close the strait to disrupt global shipping, the U.S. Navy and Air Force concentrated some of its initial strike on the base.
Satellite imagery from Planet Labs, viewed by TWZ, showed black smoke covering most of the base, making a full analysis of the damage impossible. Of what could be seen, however, open source intelligence analysts identified the IRIS Sahand, IRIS Sabalan, and IRIS Zagros as damaged, and the IRIS Makran as heavily damaged.
The U.S. wreaked havoc on Iran’s navy elsewhere as well. The U.S. published footage of a strike on the Iranian Navy Moudge-class frigate IRIS Jamaran at Konarak Naval Base, causing a massive explosion which either crippled or sank the vessel.
U.S. Central Command claimed to have sunk all eleven vessels Iran had deployed in the Straight of Hormuz.
“Two days ago, the Iranian regime had 11 ships in the Gulf of Oman, today they have ZERO. The Iranian regime has harassed and attacked international shipping in the Gulf of Oman for decades. Those days are over. Freedom of maritime navigation has underpinned American and global economic prosperity for more than 80 years. U.S. forces will continue to defend it,” a post from its X account read.
The damage to Iran’s navy wasn’t complete, however, and the majority of its surface fleet appears to still be intact. Knowing the supremacy of the U.S. Navy, any naval effort from Iran is likely to be carried out by the IRGC’s flotilla of small attack craft.
Despite the damage, IRGC Advisor Brig. Gen. Sardar Ebrahim Jabbari announced on Monday that the Strait of Hormuz was officially closed.
“The Strait of Hormuz is closed. Anyone who tries to pass will have our self-sacrificing heroes in the IRGC Navy and Army set their ships on fire. Do not come to this region,” he said.
Jabbari then mulled over what the impact would be on global oil prices.
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“The price of oil has reached $82, and surely the world is waiting for it to reach at least $200,” he said.
The strait has already been effectively closed since the conflict commenced on Saturday, with shipping companies unwilling to risk vessels in a war zone. Though Iran’s Navy has been battered by the U.S., it can still attack vessels with shore-based missiles and drones.