Before launching the first strikes on Iran on 28 Feb, the US Navy had already removed its naval forces from the Persian Gulf. Therefore, Iran was easily able to use its mosaic of highly survivable anti-ship weapons — missiles, surface and air drones, fast-attack craft, uncrewed submarines, sea mines, etc. — to assert sea control over the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the northern reaches of the Gulf of Oman. While the US proceeded to eliminate Iran’s conventional navy, these “anti-access” weapons retain much of their original capability under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
