A satellite image from Europe's Sentinel-2 confirmed what many suspected: at least 33 fast military boats of Iran's Revolutionary Guard are positioned north of the Strait of Hormuz, near the Iranian coast at Kargan.

This is not a routine exercise. On the same day, armed Iranian speedboats opened fire and seized two container ships - "MSC Francesca" and "Epaminondas" - while a third vessel, "Euphoria," sustained damage. Hormuz, the strait through which 20% of the world's oil flows, is on the verge of total closure.

The "mosquito" fleet

The secret of Iran's naval strategy is light speedboats with crews of 3-5 people, speeds up to 110 km/h and a shallow draft that lets them hide along coastlines and islands. Armed with heavy machine guns, unguided rockets, and some carry short-range anti-ship missiles. Iran has over 1,000 such vessels, many hidden in underground tunnels and island bases.

These boats do not fight conventional naval warfare. Their job is chaos: driving up insurance costs, spreading fear, forcing route changes. Minimal cost, maximum pressure. The tactic dates back to the Tanker War of the 80s, but today it is far more advanced and decentralized.

For NATO and western navies, neutralizing such a threat requires constant air support, radar surveillance and rapid response units. The numbers and terrain favor Iran. And Hormuz is narrow - and that is the only thing Tehran needs.