Loss of Iranian Navy Ship Mutes Tehran’s Global Ambitions, 3rd Warship Lost Since 2018 - USNI...

New satellite images released Thursday show the sunken hull of what earlier this week was one of Iran’s largest warship, IRIS Kharg an Ol-class replenishment oiler, caught fire on the evening of June 1.

The crew battled the fire with only 33 injured and no deaths but could not save the ship. In the end only the sea could extinguish the flames. Kharg burned for hours before slowly listing to starboard and sinking stern-first, within sight of the Iranian port of Jask, according to imagery provided to USNI News by Maxar.

The loss of Kharg, Iran’s only replenishment ship, created new challenges for the under-resourced Iranian Navy. The fleet oiler was an essential unit in Iranian ambitions to operate beyond the Middle East. For example, when Iranian warships sailed to the Mediterranean in 2011 Kharg was a key part of the group. In 2014, when Iran said that it was sending warships to the Atlantic, Kharg was present. While the Iranian surface group did not make good on Tehran’s promise to operate in the Gulf of Mexico, Kharg did give the Iranian Navy potential for much longer voyages.