Iran deploys swarms of small, fast attack boats known as the mosquito fleet to harass merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. These speedboats, potentially numbering in the thousands and hidden in sea caves and bunkers, surround and fire upon larger ships, creating significant disruptions to global oil flows.
Mosquito Fleet: An Asymmetric Naval Force
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) operates this unconventional fleet, established in the 1980s. Initially equipped with civilian speedboats armed with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns, the vessels now feature advanced missiles, mini-submarines, and drone integration. Analysts estimate hundreds to thousands of these boats lurk in cavernous mountain bunkers and island caves, such as those on Faror Island.
Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, stated on X that the IRGCN’s mosquito fleet, with speedboats and drones, waits in sea caves ready to overwhelm American warships’ air defenses.
Swarming Attacks on Merchant Shipping
Recent incidents include swarms targeting Indian-flagged tankers near the strait. These boats launch from multiple directions at high speeds, overwhelming surveillance and defenses. Merchant vessels, lacking armed guards or machine guns, maneuver slowly and risk capture.
Maritime security expert Jennifer Parker, a former naval officer at the Australian National University National Security College, describes them as a definite threat. During her 2008 deployment, Iranian boats approached at speed, pointed weapons, and steered dangerously close. “They’re definitely a threat,” Parker said. “They traditionally come out and harass vessels and merchant ships.”
Senior foreign correspondent Adrian Blomfield notes the boats blend with heavy strait traffic. “You can see just how easy it is for the IRGC speedboats to hide in plain sight, whether that’s for scouting, mining, or boarding operations,” he said. Rather than weapons of mass destruction, they serve as a weapon of mass disruption.
US Response and Recent Engagements
President Donald Trump claims U.S. forces have obliterated most of Iran’s conventional navy, including submarines and warships. He dismisses the fast attack ships as not much of a threat. However, the fleet grows more active amid Iran’s strait blockade, which previously carried 20% of global oil and has spiked energy prices after U.S. closure of Iranian Gulf ports.
U.S. Navy Seahawk helicopters sank six Iranian small boats on Monday, local time, as part of efforts to reopen the strait, according to Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command. Iranian media denies U.S. attacks on IRGC speedboats. Former Pentagon official Alex Plitsas calls them small and annoying but effective: “They’re enough to bite and be obnoxious.” He adds that a few drones and boats choke the waterway, wreaking market havoc without full closure.
Project Freedom Plan
Trump announced “Project Freedom” to escort stuck ships through the strait using hundreds of land- and sea-based aircraft, including helicopters and fixed-wing planes, to counter IRGCN threats farther from Iran’s coast. Parker suggests this saturates the air to target the boats effectively, as they remain vulnerable to aerial attacks.
Implementation pauses briefly to pursue a complete agreement with Iranian representatives, Trump posted on Truth Social. The blockade persists until resolved.
