IRGC Navy
The naval branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Distinct from the regular Iranian Navy, the IRGC Navy operates a “mosquito fleet” of small fast-attack and patrol craft (including 30-ft Kuch-type boats), antiship missiles, and naval mines — the principal Iranian instrument of pressure in the strait-of-hormuz.
April 2026 actions
During operation-epic-fury, IRGC Navy small craft seized the Liberian-flagged tanker Epaminondas and the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca in the Strait of Hormuz on April 22, 2026 — retaliation for U.S. seizures of three sanctioned tankers under the U.S. naval blockade (src-epic-fury-update-2026-04). Iran has also placed mines in the Strait, prompting the U.S. to transit Avenger-class minehunters from Japan via Sri Lanka.
With mojtaba-khamenei in hiding, IRGC commanders are reportedly running operational and diplomatic decisions.