Iranian Warship Capsizes While Undergoing Works in Port

Several people suffered minor injuries in the incident.
Iranian Warship Capsizes While Undergoing Works in Port
Iranian Navy warship IRIS Sahand takes part in the Strait of Hormuz on April 30, 2019. Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images
Aldgra Fredly
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Several people were hospitalized with minor injuries after the Iranian naval frigate Sahand capsized while undergoing works in the southern port of Bandar Abbas, near the Strait of Hormuz, according to Tehran’s state-run news agency IRNA on July 6.

The 1,300-ton destroyer “lost its balance” after water infiltrated the ship’s tanks during “repair” works, IRNA reported. The report states that efforts were ongoing to bring the vessel back to its position. It remains unclear what repairs the ship was having done.

The Sahand destroyer, named after a mountain in northern Iran, took six years to build and was launched into the Persian Gulf in December 2018.

The Iranian navy previously described the 315-foot vessel as “the most advanced frigate in Western Asia,” equipped with surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft batteries, and sophisticated radar and radar-evading capabilities.

Sahand was deployed to the Gulf of Aden in 2019. Habibollah Sayyari, coordinating deputy of the Iranian Army, said at the time that the vessel was sent on a “long-term mission” to ensure the security of Iranian ships in international waters, particularly in the Oman Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Regional Tensions

Tensions in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have risen since the start of the Israel–Hamas war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas’s large-scale attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

The Iranian-backed Houthis have continued targeting commercial ships in the region in response to the Israeli military campaign against Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

The Houthis have targeted more than 60 vessels by firing missiles and drones during their campaign, which has killed a total of four sailors. They have seized one vessel and sunk two since November 2023.

The most recent ship to sink because of Houthi attacks was the MV Tutor, a Greek-owned bulk carrier that was abandoned after being hit by a Houthi unmanned surface vessel in the Red Sea in June.

The MV Tutor is the second ship sunk by the Houthis in three months, following the sinking of the UK-owned Rubymar in the Red Sea on March 2. That vessel was struck by a Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile.

The Houthis stated that their attacks target ships linked to Israel, the United States, or the UK, although many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the Israel–Hamas war.

U.S. armed forces have continued to target missiles and radar sites in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen to degrade the Houthis’ ability to launch attacks. In February, U.S. and UK forces carried out wide-ranging strikes against 36 Houthi targets across 13 locations in Yemen.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.