Operation Epic Fury, aka Operation Roaring Lion, i.e., the joint U.S.-Israeli military operation against the Islamic Republic of Iran (Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Irân) has been underway for 1.5 months, and is currently manifesting itself as a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz imposed by U.S. President Donald John Trump that brings to mind (1) John F. Kennedy’s blockade of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 (although, for legalistic reasons, it was technically termed a “quarantine” instead of a “blockade”) and (2) Abraham Lincoln’s blockade of the Confederate states as part of the so-called “Anaconda Plan” during the American Civil War.
However, although Iran’s military forces—the regular forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, aka Sepah or Pasdaran) alike—have been degraded, they’re not dead yet.
What tools does the Iranian regime still have at its disposal to try to break Trump’s (and the U.S. Navy’s) blockade?
Iranian Threat Vector #1: Midget Submarines, aka Minisubs
Notorious drunkard Pete Hegseth stated that “their submarines – they once had 11 – are gone.” He was specifically referring to Iran’s minisubs.
However, the World Directory of Modern Military Warships (WDMMW) reported at the beginning of the year that the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN) actually had a total of 21 midget submarines, not just 11. Ergo, if we take Secretary Hegseth’s quoted statistic at face value, that still leaves ten Iranian minisubs in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Threat Vector #2: Naval Mines
Regarding those minelaying capabilities (whether via submarine or surface warship), during an April 8, 2026, press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that “97% of Iran’s once massive inventory of more than 5,000 naval mines has also been targeted and destroyed.”
Of course, that may not be true.
Even it it is, and that has never been confirmed, the remaining 3 percent still comes out to 150 mines, and with an estimated 15 USN warships enforcing the blockade, that averages out to 10 surviving mines per vessel.
Iranian Threat Vector #3: Anti-Ship Ballistic Missiles (ASBMs)
Even with the severe degradation of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers and production facilities, these remain a very real threat, particularly the ASBM subcategory.
Iranian Threat Vector #4: Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles (ASCMs)
According to the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, “Iran has acquired a number of Chinese ASCM models ” perhaps 100 Seersuckers, 125 Sardines and 75 Saccades, and perhaps more. There are also reports that Iran acquired the Russian SS-N-22 Moskit, also known as the Sunburn.
If you doubt that Iran can still fight, let your sailors find out. Come closer....