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Strait of Hormuz showing confined shipping lanes (Wikimedia Commons) 3 The ability of Iran to accomplish complex overhauls of its Soviet era submarines through the Iran Shipbuilding & Offshore Industries Complex (ISOICO) in Bandar Abbas will significantly extend the lifespan of these large submarines. Iran not only possesses a strategically significant submarine capability, but it has also demonstrated the ability to fashion its own submarine technology and execute substantive repairs to the Soviet Kilo class submarines within its fleet, which are approaching twenty years of service with Iran.

2 Advantageous positions from which a submarine might attack channeled surface vessels are abundant within the boundaries of Iran’s territorial waters, which mean they are capable of executing a first strike from a protected position. Diesel electric submarines lying in wait to execute an ambush have a tactical advantage against the ships they target and ships that target them. While diesel submarines have limited range, they are virtually undetectable unless they are moving. In contrast to the US Navy, which uses nuclear submarines, the Iranian Navy uses diesel electric submarines. Because these Lines of Communication force commercial and military vessels to travel defined and predictable routes with minimal deviation, submarines can easily ambush surface traffic in the Arabian Gulf, especially in the Strait of Hormuz where a Traffic Separation Scheme clearly delineates a shipping lane that ships must comply with. In the confined and shallow waters of the Arabian Gulf, the ability to deploy submarines effectively threatens surface vessels that are channeled into narrow Sea Lines of Communication (the technical term for shipping lanes) by depth, underwater obstacles, oil and gas wells, and territorial boundaries. Because submarines are difficult to detect and track, unlike surface ships or aircraft, they have a strategic advantage that distinguishes elite naval powers. Submarines are a significant measure of naval combat power. Tactical Advantage of Submarines in the Arabian Gulf This fact sheet provides a brief analysis of the Iranian submarine fleet and its potential future capabilities. Industrial developments in Iran in the last month have increased the readiness and lethality of the Iranian submarine force. The Iranian military has acquired a large, capable, and growing submarine force.