In the first horrific 48 hours of Operation Epic Fury, the Iranian navy – a force Tehran had built up over decades to dominate the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz – was wiped out right in its harbor. Not a single warship managed to leave the docks. Hundreds of Tomahawk missiles, hypersonic missiles, and armor-piercing bombs from B-2 stealth bombers turned Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, and Konarak into “iron ship graveyards.” This wasn’t a traditional naval battle. This was a “mᴀssacre from the sky” – and everything ended before Iran could even press the start ʙuттon.
Hour 0: The Iranian Fleet Still “Sleeping” in the Harbor
At dawn on February 28, 2026, as nuclear negotiations with the US and Israel broke down, the Iranian fleet was still anchored normally at its main bases. Dozens of Alvand and Jamaran-class destroyers, Ghadir-class submarines, fast missile boats, and even the Shahid Bagheri drone carrier were all within range. IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) commanders believed that the S-300 air defense system and coastal radar would be sufficient protection. They were fatally mistaken.
48 Hours of Hell: A relentless barrage of American missiles
From Arleigh Burke-class destroyers patrolling the Gulf of Oman, hundreds of Tomahawk missiles soared into the sky. Simultaneously, Virginia-class attack submarines silently launched cruise missiles from the seabed. In the air, B-2 Spirit stealth bombers dropped GBU-57 Mᴀssive Ordnance Penetrator bombs – 13-ton bombs designed to penetrate underground bunkers.
The result:
Bandar Abbas – Iran’s largest naval base – erupted into a sea of fire. The Jamaran-class destroyer was hit directly and sank right at the dock. The Makran (advance base ship) and Shahid Bagheri (drone carrier) were engulfed in flames, with thick black smoke rising kilometers into the air.
Bushehr – a submarine shipyard and missile depot – was attacked continuously for 36 hours. Iranian air defenses sH๏τ down a few missiles, but dozens more penetrated and turned the docks into piles of scrap metal.
Konarak and Chabahar – eastern bases – were also not spared. The Alvand-class frigate, captured on satellite imagery by Planet Labs, was seen burning fiercely at the dock, its hull broken in two.
In just 48 hours, more than 20 warships of various sizes were sunk or completely destroyed. Dozens more were severely damaged and rendered inoperable. In total, according to CENTCOM, the US and Israel destroyed more than 60 Iranian naval vessels in the initial phase alone.
Why didn’t Iran react in time?
Most Iranian warships were still in “maintenance and training” and had not yet been dispersed. The IRGC command system was paralyzed from the very first minutes by precision attacks on the command center in Bandar Abbas. By the time senior officers realized what was happening, it was too late. American missiles flew at Mach 3-5, while Iranian radar was jammed by EA-18G Growler aircraft.
An anonymous American officer described it as: “We fired before they even thought about going out to sea. The Iranian navy never left port – they were buried in their own grave.”
Strategic Consequences: The Strait of Hormuz and the Future of the Middle East
With the Iranian navy “wiped out” from day one, the threat of blockading the Strait of Hormuz – the route for 30% of the world’s oil – was drastically reduced. Although Iran claims to still control some of the area with coastal missiles and drones, in reality, its surface naval forces are virtually gone.
US President Donald Trump declared: “The Iranian Navy is at the bottom of the sea. They will never threaten freedom of navigation again.” Meanwhile, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard vowed retaliation with ballistic missiles, but their counterattacks so far have mostly been sH๏τ down by US-Israeli defense systems.
48 hours of fire changed the landscape of the Middle East forever. What Iran lost was not just ships – but the prestige of a “regional superpower” at sea. And all this happened before their fleet could even set sail.
