- Iran possesses a large stock of suicide drone boats deployed in the Strait of Hormuz
- State TV aired footage of an underground missile complex housing drones and sea mines
- Naval drones have attacked two oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, causing damage and death
Iran's military said on Thursday that it holds a large stock of suicide drone boats now being deployed to restrict passage through the Strait of Hormuz. State television released footage said to have been filmed inside an underground complex the authorities describe as a "missile city".
The images show long tunnels lined with naval drones, anti-ship missiles and sea mines. Additional footage depict some of the weapons being launched. It remains unclear when the recordings were made and whether the site has since been struck by American or Israeli forces.
One still image from the material shows a tunnel containing a naval drone mounted on a trailer beneath a portrait of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The naval drones, also known as unmanned surface vehicles or USVs, have already struck two oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. The vessels were attempting to pass through the narrow chokepoint at Hormuz. These small craft travel either on or just below the water's surface. They carry explosives and are intended to detonate on impact.
On March 1, a crude oil tanker named MKD VYOM, registered in the Marshall Islands, was hit 44 nautical miles off the coast of Oman. Britain's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that an unmanned surface vessel struck the ship just above the waterline, causing an explosion and fire in the engine room. One crew member died.
Several days later, the Bahamas-flagged crude oil tanker Sonangol Namibe was struck while anchored near Iraq's Khor al Zubair port. The vessel's operator, Sonangol Marine Services, said all 23 crew members were unharmed and declined to specify the attacking vessel while an investigation continued.
Video circulated online showed a small, speedboat-shaped object racing towards the tanker, striking its side and triggering a large explosion that sent thick smoke into the air.
Naval drones have been used in at least two attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf region since the current conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran began, according to maritime authorities.
The development mirrors the successful use of similar vessels by Ukraine against Russian forces and by Iran-backed Houthi militants against shipping in the Red Sea.
Iran has threatened to halt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a route that carries one-fifth of global oil supplies. The country's authorities said the world should prepare for oil prices reaching $200 a barrel after its forces struck merchant ships on Wednesday, bringing traffic through the strait almost to a standstill.
