Iran Inaugurates First Drone-Carrying Warship

The vessel is the result of the reconversion of a merchant cargo ship, but the decisive aspect is another: it is not property of the State, but directly of the Revolutionary Guards. Why now? The shadow of the US-Israeli offensive.

The revival of the US-Israel alliance embodied by the new American presidency of Donald Trump worries Iran. Weakened by the chaos in Syria, torn apart by internal divisions and prey to a generational clash in the government apparatus, the Islamic Republic is trying to shield itself from possible reprisals from its enemies.

After purchasing the fearsome Su-27 and Su-33 fighters from Russia , a cooperating anti-American force, Tehran has inaugurated its first drone-carrying warship. The "Shahid Bagheri" , the Pasdaran claim with a calculated threat, is capable of operating in the open ocean. A clear reference to the recent sightings of drones on the east coast of the United States , which however have nothing to do with the new Iranian vessel. But what exactly is it and how powerful is it?

Shahid Bagheri, Iran's New Drone Carrier

 The new Iranian drone-carrying naval platform brings with it two major innovations. The first is that it was born from the military conversion of a merchant cargo ship into what can be defined as the first exclusively "drone-carrier" ship in the world. The second is that it does not belong to the Tehran Navy, but is the direct property of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, the so-called Pasdaran. Both aspects are important, but perhaps the second is more so. By transferring its power to the Revolutionary Guards, in fact a highly ideologized military body parallel to the State, Iran could inaugurate a war tactic in which the direct responsibility for any military actions at sea is attributable to the Pasdaran.

Modified from a 2000 South Korean container ship, the Shahid Bagheri is 240 meters long and 32 meters wide, and carried out its first water trials in December 2024. The installation of a 180-meter long launch ramp, similar to those of aircraft carriers, allows the take-off of small planes, helicopters and various types of drones: from the Mohajer type 6 and 10 to the Shahed-129 and Shahed-136 kamikaze carriers. The old cargo holds of the merchant ship have therefore become a hangar. From the videos broadcast by Iranian state TV, the presence of missile systems can also be seen. This is likely, given that Tehran has a large range of anti-ship and "land strike" carriers, both ballistic and cruise.