rki.news | Sources: Xinhua
A maritime intelligence firm based in London said Sunday that Iran may be deploying fast-attack boat formations to escort commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, based on satellite imagery and multi-source monitoring data.
The company Windward said in a social media post that a bulk carrier was observed transiting the strait accompanied by high-speed craft operating in formation nearby, suggesting a possible escort operation.
According to its tracking data, multiple clusters of fast boat activity were recorded on Saturday. These included five formations involving more than 80 fast-attack boats moving northward.
On the same day, six commercial vessels entered the Gulf through the strait, including two very large crude carriers, two bulk carriers, and two oil tankers, while one very large crude carrier exited.
Separately, a Financial Times report noted that Iran maintains a large fleet of fast-attack craft along its southern coastline. The vessels are often dispersed in coastal areas, including coves, caves, and tunnels, and are capable of rapid mobilization.
It added that these craft have previously confronted larger naval forces, including the U.S. Navy, and are part of Iran’s maritime strategy influencing shipping routes and global energy transport through one of the world’s most sensitive chokepoints.