Iran’s Midget Submarines Could Seal Hormuz
21st March 2026
American A-10 attack jets screamed low over the Strait of Hormuz to hunt Iranian speedboats racing through the narrow waterway.
Apache helicopters joined the assault, and 5,000lb bombs struck underground weapons sites across southern Iran, the US said.
They wanted to destroy Iran’s fast-attack boats and missile bases, which had been targeting passing oil tankers, with the goal of reopening the vital shipping lane and ending the global energy crisis.
But the main threat to shipping may be one that American jets cannot see or easily target: a small fleet of Iranian midget submarines designed for the shallow, murky waters of the Gulf.
Iran has up to 10 Ghadir-class midget submarines, which are roughly a tenth the size of conventional attack submarines at 120 tons in weight and 29m in length.
About the size of a narco-sub.