# asymmetric warfare
Latest news and articles about asymmetric warfare
Total: 11 articles found
Why Iran’s Navy Appears to Have Been Battered — and What It Means for the Strait of Hormuz
U.S. air strikes in March appear to have destroyed or severely damaged a large portion of Iran’s surface fleet, particularly ships above 1,000 tonnes that were in port or at anchor. The losses expose a strategic mismatch in Tehran’s recent push for larger support vessels and drone carriers, and they shift Iran back toward asymmetric tools—mines, small craft and submarines—to threaten the Strait of Hormuz.
How Iran’s Guardianship System Keeps It Standing: The Political Glue Behind Tehran’s Resilience
Iran’s velayat‑e faqih — the guardianship of the jurist — has been institutionalized into a network of political, economic and military bodies that give the regime resilience against US and Israeli pressure. That architecture allows Tehran to absorb shocks, mobilize resources and pursue asymmetric deterrence, even as economic malaise and generational change pose long‑term risks.
How Iran’s Mine-and-Drone Campaign Has Humiliated a 2,500-Strong US Marine Deployment in the Strait of Hormuz
A mid-March U.S. Marine deployment to the Strait of Hormuz has failed to secure merchant transits as Iran uses mines, drones and small-boat tactics to blunt conventional maritime power. The standoff is disrupting global energy flows, exposing vulnerabilities in Western naval doctrine and prompting political unease among Gulf partners.
Iran Appears to Be Shifting Tactics: Heavy Warheads Paired with Cheap Drone Swarms
Iran is pairing larger, roughly one-tonne warhead-capable missiles with swarms of inexpensive drones, a combination that raises the lethality and operational complexity of its forces. The development transforms deterrence into a more flexible coercive posture, complicating regional defence and increasing the risk of escalation and proliferation.
Iran Deploys New High‑Speed ‘Hadid‑110’ Suicide Drone, Testing U.S. Air‑Defence Vulnerabilities
Iran’s IRGC has deployed the Hadid‑110, a rocket‑assisted high‑speed suicide drone that Tehran says is optimized to penetrate modern air defences. The weapon’s combination of stealth shaping, turbojet propulsion and mobility is aimed at targeting radars and command nodes, complicating defensive timelines for U.S. and allied forces in the region.
Mines and Mini‑Submarines: How Iran Could Paralyse the Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s reported inventory of roughly 6,000 naval mines and a fleet of 28 submarines presents a credible capacity to rapidly obstruct the Strait of Hormuz. Even partial mining of the strait would severely disrupt about 20% of global seaborne oil, challenge U.S. and allied mine‑countermeasure capabilities and raise the risk of wider escalation.
Khamenei Rejects U.S. Limits on Iran’s Missiles and Warns Aircraft Carriers Are Vulnerable
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected U.S. objections to Iran’s missile programme and warned that American aircraft carriers can be made vulnerable by weapons Tehran possesses or is developing. His remarks reflect Tehran’s emphasis on asymmetric deterrence and raise the political and operational stakes for U.S. naval presence in the Gulf.
How Iran’s Missile and Drone Arsenal Has Remade Its Military Standing
Iran has become a top‑20 military power not by fielding a modern air force or blue‑water navy but by investing heavily in long‑range missiles, drones and asymmetric tactics. These capabilities give Tehran a resilient, regionally disruptive deterrent, even as sanctions and aging conventional platforms limit its ability to wage high‑intensity conventional campaigns.
Iran Shows Underground 'Missile City' and 1,000km Anti‑Ship Cruise Missile, Putting U.S. Fleets on the Back Foot
Iran has publicly showcased an underground missile complex and a new anti‑ship cruise missile, "Abu Mahdi," claiming over 1,000 km range and a heavy warhead capable of damaging large U.S. warships. The display underscores Tehran’s reliance on concealment, mobility and asymmetric tactics to complicate U.S. naval operations in the Gulf and Arabian Sea.
Tehran Announces 1,000 'Strategic' Drones Joined to Combat Units — Capabilities Kept Under Wraps
Iran announced that 1,000 strategic drones have been formally folded into its combat units, described as strike, reconnaissance and electronic‑warfare types. The move signals a potential expansion of Tehran's asymmetric military toolkit, but the absence of imagery or technical detail leaves their true capability and impact uncertain.
Taiwan’s Indigenous Submarine Finally Dives After Prolonged Delays, Tests to Continue into Mid‑2026
Taiwan’s first domestically built submarine, Haikun, completed its initial submerged test on 26 January 2026 after a series of delays tied to systems-integration problems. The programme missed its original November 2025 delivery date and now faces additional staged trials with a new handover target around June 2026, leaving questions about the timeline for boosting Taiwan’s undersea deterrent.