History of the Iranian Navy Traditionally , located in the shallow waters of the Persian Gulf , the Iranian navy has always been the smallest of its military forces . An Iranian navy in one form or another has existed since Achaemenid times in 500 BC ; however , except for the Achaemanid navy , none of the following navies were particularly well organised or strong . It was only with the Pahlavi dynasty in the 20th century that Iran began to consider building a strong navy to project its strength into the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean . In more recent years , the country has engaged in domestic ship building industries in response to the western - backed first Gulf War ( also known as the Iran - Iraq war ) , which left it without suppliers during an invasion . Pahlavi era . The Imperial Iranian Navy ( IIN ) was the name of Iran ' s navy , until the Iranian Revolution in 1979 . It was nearly destroyed during a surprise attack by Britain and the Soviet Union in World War II , which began the Anglo - Soviet invasion of Iran . Numerous Iranian ships were sunk or damaged while still moored at their home ports . Following World War II , the fleet began replacing destroyed warships with destroyers , frigates and many smaller vessels , including powerboat s and hovercraft , many of which originated from the U . S . and UK , which had played a part in destroying much of the original equipment in World War II . In the 1970s , Iran planned to extend its naval reach into the Indian Ocean ; but this goal was curtailed by the revolution , and the ensuing western - backed first Gulf War ( Iran – Iraq War ) ( 1980 – 1988 ) which left it hampered in the face of the invasion . The Imperial Iranian Navy regained control of the Tunb and Abu Musa islands on the 30th of November 1971 , following the British withdrawal from these islands . Since before 1971 , the navy had been supplied primarily with American and British equipment . Up until 1979 , Iran rapidly modernised its navy , adding American and British - made destroyers , frigates and many smaller vessels , including hovercraft . Aircraft were also included . Iran also had orders for more American and British naval armaments by the time of the Iranian revolution . An Ol class tanker was ordered from the United Kingdom . Called Kharg , this was built in 1977 but , not delivered until 1984 . Four Kidd class destroyer s , were ordered from the USA , while eight modified Kortenaer class frigate s were ordered from Royal Schelde in The Netherlands . The revolution happened before any of the ships could be delivered , so , both orders were cancelled . The Kidd class destroyers then went into service with the United States Navy and later , with the Republic of China ( Taiwan ) Navy , where they are still in service . Islamic Republic of Iran . With the fall of the Shah in the revolution of 1979 , the Imperial Iranian Navy was renamed as the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy . From then on , the United States began economic sanctions , severely hampering Iran ' s ability to maintain and equip its Navy . In fact , the Navy was more severely affected than the Army or Air Force . Several of Iran ' s ships had to be laid up . Iran Iraq War . The Iran - Iraq War lasted from 1980 to 1988 . The IRI Navy played a role in it . During this time , battles fought with Iraq and the United States , also degraded Iran ' s conventional naval assets . One such battle was Operation Morvarid , involving the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy . Post Iran Iraq War . In place of western equipment , Iran has purchased equipment from Russia , China , and North Korea , as well as engaging in naval exercises with Pakistan and India . The 1990s saw Iran focusing on building up its fleets of patrol boats and submarines , as well as surface - to - surface , anti - ship missiles . Iran ' s goal has always been to provide escort for Iranian shipping in the Persian Gulf , as well as being able to disrupt enemy shipping , as was witnessed in the Iran – Iraq War . On the 22nd of February 2011 , two Islamic Republic of Iran Navy ships entered the Suez Canal , on a deployment reported to be a training mission to Latakia , Syria . These were the tanker " Kharg " , and the frigate " Alvand " . This was the first time that Iranian naval ships had passed through the Suez Canal , since the 1979 Iranian revolution . On the 18th of February 2012 , the Kharg entered the Suez Canal again , with one other Iranian warship , after briefly docking at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia .