Just before the Israel-Iran war, three leading BESA researchers, Prof. Eitan Shamir, Dr. Commander Israeli Navy (ret.) Eyal Pinko, and Commander US Navy (ret.) David Levy, published an article on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) in the Journal of Strategic Studies, one of the leading academic journals in the field of strategic and military studies.
The timing turned out to be particularly significant.
The article provides an in-depth analysis of the IRGCN’s operational doctrine and examines how Iran has built a naval force specifically designed to challenge conventionally superior navies through asymmetric warfare. It explores the integration of swarm tactics, fast attack craft, anti-ship missiles, coastal anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) systems, deception, and proxy forces to threaten maritime traffic and, above all, to control or potentially close the Strait of Hormuz.
The paper also analyzes how the IRGCN, through partners such as the Houthis and Hezbollah, extends Iran’s maritime reach beyond the Gulf into the Red Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, creating strategic dilemmas for Western and regional navies.
In light of recent developments, many of these issues have moved from theory to practice.
The good news is that the publisher has now made the article freely available, so anyone interested in Iranian military doctrine, maritime strategy, and the strategic implications of the Strait of Hormuz can read it without a subscription.
I hope you find it useful, and I look forward to your thoughts and comments.
Authors: Eitan Shamir, David Levy, and Eyal Pinko.