(WatchDogReport.org) – An Iranian warship capsized near the Strait of Hormuz while it was undergoing repairs at the southern port of Bandar Abbas on July 7. Two officers were killed, and several others were hospitalized in the incident. The Iranian navy’s Sahand destroyer lost its balance during the repairs when water entered the vessel’s tanks. A statement released by Iran’s state media claimed the ship was quickly being rebalanced.
The 1,300-tonne frigate later sank despite efforts to restore its balance. This is the third incident involving an Iranian warship in the last six years; the Damavand hit a breakwater and sank in 2018, and the Kharg caught fire and sank in the Gulf of Oman in 2021.
Though Iran’s media outlets have reported that the incident was an accident, some analysts suggest foul play. Israeli security analyst Ronen Solomon commented that the sinking of the Sahand showed “all the elements” of a “sophisticated operation” that would warrant denial from both the Iranian and Israeli governments that an Israeli cyber attack was to blame. A suspected Israeli cyber attack caused disruptions and damage for days at Shahid Rajee port in 2020.
The Sahand, which entered service in 2018, was a relatively new addition to Iran’s naval arsenal. Before the ship sank, maritime analyst and former US Navy Captain Carl Schuster told reporters that the incident could put the vessel out of action for half a year and damage critical systems. Schuster noted that in the event the vessel could have been saved, salt water causes severe damage to electrics, resulting in any electrical components needing to be removed and carefully cleaned.
Relations between Tehran and Tel Aviv have grown increasingly tense following the October 7 attacks and Israel’s retaliatory assault on Gaza. Iran has come under mounting scrutiny over the degree of support it gives to Hamas and Hezbollah militants, and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have been conducting strikes against merchant vessels in the Red Sea. Tensions in the region led to an Israeli strike on Iran’s consulate in Damascus, Syria. The incident prompted retaliatory strikes by Iran using missiles against Israel, most of which were successfully intercepted.
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