On March 4, 2026, the Iranian Navy’s IRIS Shahid Sayyad Shirazi, a Shahid Soleimani-class missile catamaran corvette, was struck as part of the ongoing Operation Epic Fury.
The vessel was reported burning at sea but remained afloat, having sustained considerable damage with visible fire and smoke emanating from its hull.
During a speech on the same day, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegeseth stated that they sank Iran’s newest warship, IRIS Shahid Sayyad Shirazi.
The Shahid Sayyad Shirazi is among the newest additions to Iran’s naval fleet, having been commissioned in February 2024. The Shahid Soleimani-class represents Iran’s push toward faster, stealthier surface combatants. Built on a catamaran composite hull designed for reduced radar signature, the class can reach speeds of up to 45 knots and carries both Nawab and Sayad cruise missile systems.
The corvette had been operationally active in recent weeks. During the “Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz” exercise in February 2026, the Shahid Sayyad Shirazi conducted what Iranian media described as the first public shipborne launch of the Sayyad-3G surface-to-air missile—a long-range naval air-defense variant. The vessel’s home port was Bandar Abbas.
Today’s strike is part of Operation Epic Fury, a joint US-Israeli military campaign that commenced on February 28 and has specifically targeted Iranian military infrastructure. Iranian naval assets have figured prominently among the operation’s objectives.
The damage to the Shahid Sayyad Shirazi follows a string of losses for the Iranian Navy over the past several days, confirmed by CENTCOM. On March 1, a Jamaran-class corvette was sunk at its pier in Chah Bahar. The IRIS Shahid Bagheri, a drone carrier, has been reported destroyed, while the IRINS Makran—a forward base ship—was damaged and seen burning at Bandar Abbas. Additionally, the Bayandor-class corvettes IRIS Bayandor and IRIS Naghdi were both sunk at Konarak naval base. US President Trump stated that between nine and ten Iranian vessels have been destroyed or sunk since the operation began.
Naval News will continue to monitor naval developments of the war.
