With escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, the US has deemed it fit to deploy two aircraft carriers in close vicinity of Iran. The USS Abraham Lincoln is now stationed near Iran, and the USS Gerald R. Ford is also about to arrive in the Middle East. Despite glaring down the barrels of US weaponry, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a direct threat in a speech on February 17.
In his speech, he said that aircraft carriers are dangerous, but even more dangerous are the weapons that could lead to their devastation and send them to the bottom of the sea. Through his remarks, he implied that Iranian warships could attack US ships and sink them.
Khamenei stated that both carriers are accompanied by their entire battle groups, which include warships and missile defenses. In his address, he did not name any specific weapon, but his statements are currently being seen as a direct warning. Even before the recent downturn in diplomatic relations between the US and Iran, Khamenei had long maintained that Iran has the capability to intercept enemy ships in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. Below is a detailed list of the weapons that Iran possesses.
Iran’s Most Deadly Weapons
Among the most talked-about weapons classified as extremely dangerous are the Fattah-class hypersonic missiles.
Fattah-1 was unveiled in 2023. The weapon reportedly has a range of 1,400 kilometers and a speed of Mach 13 to 15. It is said that the missile can evade interception by changing direction just before impact.
Fattah-2 is considered a dangerous weapon due to its hypersonic glide technology, which can confuse missile defense systems. Iran has been secretive about this weapon and has not revealed how many it possesses.
Beyond this, Iran also possesses more than 1,000 anti-ship missiles. These include weapons such as the Noor, Qaader, Ghadir, Nasr, and Abu Mahdi missiles. The range of these missiles varies: some can strike targets within 120 km, while others can hit targets at ranges of up to nearly 1,000 km.
In addition, Iran has sea mines, torpedoes, drones, and submarines, which it could deploy in naval conflicts.
Can Iran Really Sink an American Aircraft Carrier?
US aircraft carriers have a reputation for being among the most secure warships in the world. They are typically accompanied by a full security detail and are equipped with advanced radar systems, missile defenses, and fighter jets that maintain constant surveillance. During the previous Red Sea crisis, US ships thwarted numerous drone and missile attacks by Houthi rebels. These incidents demonstrated the US Navy’s robust defense capabilities.
