Iran's more activated Revolutionary Guard Navy

File photo of merchant ship Alpine Eternity, unsuccessfully seized by IRGC-N on 14MAY15

According to the Wall Street Journal:

For the second time in two weeks, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Naval patrol boats confronted a commercial ship moving through the strait and ordered it into Iranian waters on Thursday, according to U.S. officials.

[…]

U.S. officials said the attempted seizure appeared to stem from a dispute from March 22, when the Alpine Eternity hit an Iranian oil rig. The tanker damaged the Iranian rig, but left the scene before the issue could be resolved, U.S. officials said. Iran demanded that the ship’s owner pay for the damage and threatened to seize the Alpine Eternity if the issue wasn’t resolved, one U.S. official said.

[…]

Three IRGC naval patrol boats ordered the tanker to shift course and head into Iranian waters, U.S. officials said. When the commercial ship’s crew refused, the Iranian boats fired warning shots to try to force the Alpine Eternity to follow their orders, according to the U.S. military and officials with the ship’s Norwegian operator.

When that didn’t work, the Iranian boats tried to “disable” the Alpine Eternity, apparently by opening fire with machine guns directly at the ship, said one U.S. official.

The Iranian boats then pursued the commercial vessel for close to an hour as it headed for port in the United Arab Emirates, American officials said. The Iranians broke off pursuit only when the U.A.E. Coast Guard ships came to the aid of the Alpine Eternity. Kai Bjorkelund, director of Transpetrol TM AS, the Norwegian operator of the Alpine Eternity, said the crew was safe and the Iranian boats caused no damage to the tanker.

COMMENTARY: Evidently IRGC-N have determined a more assertive stance in the Persian Gulf is in order; this being the second time in a matter of weeks this navy has played the role of sheriff in attempting to collect debts Iran claims are owed from shipping companies.

From the U.S. military-provided description of what took place, it sounds as if IRGC-N utilized HSPBs in what turned out to be an unsuccessful ship seizure operation. Using Thondar-class missile craft would have enabled IRGC-N to utilize a Type 69/AK-230 type fully automatic naval twin 30 mm gun, potentially escalating tensions even further. Admittedly, type of vessel(s) used in the operation is speculative given the highly generalized details that have been provided to the press. Nevertheless, the potential use of BuMusa (Abu Musa) in this attempt serves to illustrate the inherent tactical advantages that island provides Iran’s IRGC-N, and the underlying discontent this causes to GCC.

It may well be IRGC-N feels compelled to take a more assertive, challenging role in the Persian Gulf, while USN and the Saudi-led coalition have taken such an active military role at the Gulf of Aden. Noteworthy also is that both Maersk cargo ship and Alpine Eternity transited GCC ports (see table below), for it's understood IRGC discerns the Yemen revolution and conflict within their own historical experience of Iran's revolution being defended against what they term the Imposed War of 1980-1988.

The incident may also be revealing in that U.S. officials (not Iranian officials) went public with details of Iran’s compensation dispute with Alpine Eternity and Transpetrol TM A, suggestive of a direct, diplomatic communication between the United States and Iran, which if indeed did take place, might not have been so readily possible prior to nuclear negotiations undertaken since 2013.

Below are tables related to Alpine Eternity [source: AIS Marine Traffic]:

IRGCN Boats Fire Shots Across the Bow of Singapore Freighter

In Persian Gulf Off UAE Coast

Five IRGC Navy fast boats today fired shots across the bow of a Singapore-flagged cargo vessel, the Alpine Eternity, in the Persian Gulf in an attempt to stop the ship.

IRGCN boats approached the cargo vessel in international waters just off the coast of the United Arab Emirates at around noon local time and fired across its bow, and at that point the cargo vessel turned and escaped by entering into UAE territorial waters, CNN reported according to initial U.S. military reports of the incident. The UAE sent three of its coast guard boats out to the cargo vessel.

The IRGC navy has been following an aggressive policy in the Persian Gulf in recent weeks. Late in April, it intercepted a Maersk cargo ship at the Strait of Hormuz and detained it for nearly 10 days. There have been other reports of harassment of cargo ships by IRGC fast boats since then. Today’s incident was serious, talking place near the UAE territorial waters and prompting UAE navy to send out coast guard boats.

It seems the IRGC is angry over the Saudi-led coalition’s enforcement of UN arms embargo against the Huthis in Yemen. Last month, a nine-ship convoy of IRGCN suspected of carrying arms for the Huthis had to change course and head home. Iran is now sending a humanitarian aid vessel to Yemen, but the Iranian foreign ministry has coordinated the aid delivery with the UN and there are no indications that IRGCN warships are accompanying the ship.

File photo: IRGCN patrol boats (Mehr News Agency)

Could Iran really sink an aircraft carrier?

Abraham Lincoln carrier battle group.

Iran recently built a mock-up prop depicting a United States Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. Then, as part of a much flaunted military exercise, used “swarming” tactics consisting of small speedboats, helicopters and anti-ship missile fired from Iran's coast in order to practice interdicting and attacking it. The whole exercise had a clear political dimension to it, Tehran wants to project an image of its asymmetrical abilities which enable it to, if necessary, sink one of America's capital vessels if it were directly threatened or attacked.

Plenty of articles have been written, and will be written, addressing both the military and political implications of this exercise. Can Iran really sink an aircraft carrier? Is the timing of this exercise – which after all comes amid more collapsing nuclear negotiations and as Iran's continued, and ever more conspicuous, involvement in the conflict in Syria grows increasingly more costly – Tehran's way of reminding the U.S. that it will make any attack as costly as possible?

I suspect that is the case. But the much more interesting question is whether or not Iran could do it. We've all heard the rhetoric time and again over the years concerning how the regime has threatened to retaliate if its nuclear program is targeted by either the Americans or the Israelis, or both. But this particular exercise does serve as an apt reminder of how finely tuned the relatively unique, and doubtlessly formidable, the defense mechanisms of Iran are.

A controversial 2002 war games simulation, Millennium Challenge, arrived somewhat controversial conclusions. Iran's asymmetrical abilities, the American simulation estimated, could well take out not just a lone carrier but an entire battle group if it were operating within the gulf or near Iran's coastal waters. The blow was so severe that the simulation was overhauled to ensure a U.S. victory – which sounds like a  ludicrous move since, after all, in the real world one cannot hit the reset button like a video game when it's not going the way one would like it to. 

Unlike in the late 1980's when the U.S. Navy responded to Iran's mining of the Persian Gulf, during the so-called Tanker War phase of the Iran Iraq War, by attacking its British-made naval frigates (and in the process sinking the Sahand and crippling the Sabalan, which it let limp away) Iran's posture today focuses more on a complex network of much smaller crafts using asymmetrical tactics as part of a broader defensive infrastructure. And a networked defensive posture which is relatively decentralized and consists of units which can operate independently if circumstances necessitate it from along Iran's massive coast could indeed make any American attempts to operate in that area a costly nightmare, especially if they are relying on relatively conventional tactics against a largely unconventional adversary. An adversary which, operating from its own territory, would likely be, as was said of the Viet Cong, everywhere and at the same time nowhere.

Any potential U.S. effort to hamper Iran's ability to attack from its own coast would have to be very sizeable and would doubtlessly incur considerable civilian casualties in Iran itself. Such a scenario is highly likely in the case of a protracted war against Iran and the U.S. in the region. Especially if such an escalation is sparked off by a U.S. and/or Israeli strike targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. If ensuing exchanges of fire became prolonged and intensified, to the point of a de-facto war, Iranians would likely rally behind the regime, regardless of whether or not they agree with it or its policies. Another sombre reminder of what could possibly be at stake in the not too distant future.

IRGC-N launch of Parmida 6 crew boat at Bushehr

Above: video still of Parmida 6 crew boat upon launch into Persian Gulf waters 

Iranian media reports the 28JAN15 launch of newly constructed Parmida 6 crew boat at Bushehr, in the presence of Commander of IRGC-N Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi.

Crew boats are vessels specialized in the transport of offshore support personnel, deck cargo, and below-deck cargo such as fuel and potable water to and from offshore installations such as oil platforms, drilling rigs and drill/ dive ships.

Claimed specifications for Parmida 6 include a maximum speed of 25 nautical miles per hour, with capacity to carry 73 passengers and crew of eight.

For comparison, Parmida 5 crew boat specifications list a gross tonnage of 243, deadweight of 134 tons and a length x breadth of 41m x 7.4m.

Video:

Iranian Coast Guard rescue vessel at Bushehr Island

 

Above: Imagery captured by Tasnim News Agency photographer of Iranian Coast Guard rescue vessel near Bushehr Island in the Persian Gulf, during IRI President Rouhani's inspection of the Bushehr Island Waterfront project on 14JAN15. [click HERE]

Vessel marked NEJAT 2 ("RESCUE 2") appears to be one in a series of NAJI ("SAVIOR") high speed light craft patrol type constructed at Norway's Båtservice Mandal AS, as delivered to Port and Shipping Organization, Iran (PSO).

NAJI 9 (MMSI: 422315000) known to operate in region of Bushehr at Khark during past 30 days. [click HERE]

NAJI series vessels powered by two MTU 12V2000 M90 diesel engines of 1007 kW from Bertel O. Steen Teknikk. Engines drive two water jets of Hamilton Jet type HM 521 via ZF reduction gears. Vessels capable of a maximum speed of 40 knots, with given service speed indicated as 30 knots.

Equipment on these rescue crafts include Hydromega delivery of rescue net with crane, with liferaft for 20 persons supplied by Viking-Life.

Electronic equipment include Furuno FR-1510 Mk3 radar, JRC FF 501 echo sounder, Simrad AP50 auto pilot, Furuno GP-90 GPS, Furuno FC-50 navigator, GMDSS A2 Furuno FS-1570 radio station, two Sailor RT 4822 VHFs, Thrane Fleet 55 Satcom, Taiyo TDL 1550 VHF direction finder and Phontech intercom-system.

Specifications:
Length o.a. excl. fender: 19.60 m
Breadth mld.: 4.60 m
Depth mld.: 2.85 m
Fuel oil capacity: 5000 l
Fresh water capacity: 500 l

UK to Establish Permanent Persian Gulf Military Base

Britain will establish its first permanent military base in the Persian Gulf since it formally withdrew from the region in 1971. The base, at Mina Salman Port in Bahrain, will host ships, including destroyer and aircraft carriers, BBC reported today.

Britain’s move represents a “sustained presence east of Suez,” as the British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said today. In 1971, Britain had decided to close bases east of Suez.

File photo: British Type 45 destroyer (BBC)

Largest Naval Exercise in Persian Gulf and Beyond

A total of 6.500 personnel and 38 warships from 44 navies are taking part in a U.S.-led naval exercise in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea. The focus of the exercise, which started on Sunday and will run through 13 November, is maritime security operations and mine countermeasures in critical choke points of the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb and Suez Canal.

“The tremendous number of nations participating in this exercise sends a clear signal that threats to global commerce will not be tolerated, said Vice Admiral John Miller, the commander of U.S. 5th Fleet, the naval component of U.S. CENTCOM.

Meanwhile, IRGC Navy commander, Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, said the U.S. Navy should withdraw from the Persian Gulf. The American fleet is based in Bahrain and has been operating in the Gulf for decades.

“Destroying and drowning American warships, (including) aircraft carrier, have been and will remain on our program,” Fadavi said.

File photo: U.S. Navy mine countermeasure ships, from right to left, USS Dextrous, USS Sentry, DSS Devastator and USS Pioneer; the Persian Gulf, August 2012. (U.S. Navy/AP)

U.S Coast Guard Boat Fires on Iranian Fishing Boat

Navy Says Iranian Crew Pointed a Machine Gun at American Crew 

The U.S. Navy announced today that a U.S. Coast Guard boat fired at an Iranian fishing dhow in the Persian Gulf after the Iranian boat pointed a machine gun at the American crew.

The incident occurred on Tuesday morning in international waters when a team from the Coast Guard patrol vessel Monomoy was dispatched in the smaller boat to query the Iranian dhow.

“The (Iranian) dhow’s crew trained and prepared to fire a .50 caliber machine gun on the small (Coast Guard) boat as it approached,” the Navy. “This action by the dhow’s crew demonstrated hostile intent.”

The Coast Guard crew then turned away and “fired one round in self-defense,” the Navy added. The dhow crew did not respond when fired upon and left the scene without communicating with the Monomoy.

The Monomoy had earlier established communication with the dhow and determined that it was an Iranian-flagged vessel. The Monomoy is in the Persian Gulf operating with the Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

The Pentagon Spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said there was no indication whether the dhow was struck.

File photo: U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Monomoy (WPB 1326) / U/S. Navy/Wikipedia

Emir of Kuwait in Tehran

Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah arrived in Tehran today on a landmark visit, the first by a Kuwaiti ruler since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani welcomed Sheik Sabah during a formal ceremony. Since he came to power, Rouhani has been seeking to end decades of hostile relations with the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. Kuwait also is home to a significant Shia minority.

Photo credit: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani escorting Sheik Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah to review an Iranian honor guard upon the Emir's arrival in Tehran. 1 June 2014. (IRNA)

INEGMA Symposium on Missile and Air Defense

Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA) on Sunday concluded its Middle East Missile and Air Defense Symposium (MEMAD 2014) conference in Abu Dhabi. Subject matter experts in air and missile defense and military and defense industry officials attended the two-day conference.

Michael Codner, a senior research fellow at RUSI Defense Systems, discussing the future of cruise missile capabilities in the Gulf, said, “Iranian cruise missiles are predominantly anti-ship and used for coastal protection, but it is not difficult to change their role either temporarily or permanently.” (INEGMA, 28 April)

Iran’s cruise missile program is developed on Chinese technology, and the conference participants emphasized that China is and will be a “benchmark” for future capabilities in Iran.

“Chinese cruise missile development will give a key indication as to what is likely to be available to Iran,” Codner said. “It would be wrong to assume that China will be an automatic ally to any adversarial power in the Gulf, but it is a benchmark for future threat capabilities.” 

Rear Admiral James Loeblein, deputy commander of U.S. NAVCENT, said, “When short distances are combined with proliferation of advanced cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, the maritime environment can be exceedingly complex… But it also provides us with a tremendous tactical advantage by compressing the opposition's command and control timeline.” 

File photo: Iranian “Ghader” cruise missile, which can be launched from shore, sea and air. (FNA)

Iran and Pakistan Navies joint exercise near Straight of Hormuz

Docked at Bandar Abbas: PNS Hashmat (S135) Hashmat class (Fr Agosta-70 type) diesel attack submarine (SSK)

According to Islamic Republic News Agency:

Naval forces of Iran and Pakistan began a joint military exercise in east of Hormuz Strait in Persian Gulf on Tuesday participated by the selected units of the Navy forces of both countries.

The Pakistani fleet comprises Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) RASADGAR a Pakistani built Small Tanker cum Utility Ship (STUS), PNS QUWWAT a Pakistani built Missile Boat and a French made submarine PNS/M HASHMAT.

The Pakistani flotilla docked at the provincial capital city of Bandar Abbas in Hormuzgan Province on April 5...

Docked at Bandar Abbas: PNS Quwwat (P 1028) Jurrat class fast attack craft (missile)

Docked at Bandar Abbas: PNS Rasadgar (23)  small tanker cum utility ship (STUS)

Video, IRIB News:

Oman and Iran plan to connect countries via causeway

King Fadh causeway that connects Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

The Iranian Ambassador to Oman, Ali Akbar Sibeveih, has said there are plans to build what he dubbed a "high bridge over the Strait of Hormuz." (Oman Tribune, March 6)

The bridge will specifically connect southern Iran to the Omani Musandam exclave -- which is part of a peninsula completely surrounded by territory belong to the United Arab Emirates. Road access from that exclave to Oman therefore runs through UAE territory.

If and when it is built this causeway will constitute the first time in history a roadway directly linked Iran with the Gulf Cooperation Council states.

The planned construction of this causeway will be undertaken by contractors from both Iran and Oman. It comes after the two agreed to double the number of flights between the country from fourteen to thirty a week.

The Omani ambassador to Iran, Saud Al Barwani, has also sent an invitation from the Sultan of Oman to Iranian President Rouhani inviting him to come and visit Muscat. (Gulf News, March 6)

US Defense News report on PG islands 'fabricated' - IRI Foreign Ministry

 

 According to FARS News Agency:

The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday categorically rejected a US media report claiming that Tehran has come into terms with the UAE over the sovereignty of its trio islands, stressing that Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb islands in the Persian Gulf are inseparable parts of Iran.

“The Iranian embassy (in the UAE) has rejected the claim of the journal (US Defense News), and I reiterated here that the report is completely false and no agreement has been made (on the three islands),” Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said in her weekly press conference in Tehran on Tuesday.

Afkham described the report as a propaganda effort made to harm the policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

This shouldn't be considered a surprise to anybody. There were a number of Gulf sources in the US Defense News article but none from Iran. That in itself suggested the report be best viewed with skepticism.

For a reminder on how Iran regards the three islands, observers would do well to direct their attention toward the names of the three artificial islands recently created at Tehran District 22's "Persian Gulf Martyrs Lake." They're called "Abu Musa Martyrs Island," "Greater Tonb Martyrs Island," and "Lesser Tonb Martyrs Island." For details, click HERE.

Fadaeeyan-e Harim-e Vellayat IV

Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) exercise near Persian Gulf

IRIAF McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II. Iran media reports a Qader ALCM as previously seen fitted to this type successfully fired during Fadaeeyan-e Harim-e Vellayat IV exercise.

IRIAF Northrup (Owj) F-5E Saeghe

IRIAF Northrup (Owj) F-5E Saeghe dropping training ordnance

Front view IRIAF Northrup (Owj) F-5E Saeghe, serial 3-7366 / S110-001 (cn S110-001)

Rear view IRIAF Northrup (Owj) F-5E Saeghe

Trio of IRIAF McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II fitted with varieties of payload

Front view IRIAF McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II

IRIAF flight crew detail

IRIAF pre-flight  check on McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II, serial 3-6634 / 01536 (cn 4674)

Trio of IRIAF Dassault Mirage F1 fighter aircraft

IRIAF Dassault Mirage F1BQ type in flight

Rear view IRIAF Dassault Mirage F1

Front view Dassault Mirage F1BQ-3, serial 3-6403

IRIAF pre-flight  check on Dassault Mirage F1BQ

Line-up of IRIAF Northrup and Owj F-5 variants participating in Fadaeeyan-e Harim-e Vellayat IV

Line-up of IRIAF McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II

IRIAF Lockheed C-130H Hercules (L-382) airdrop cargo

IRGC-AF Harbin Y12-II, serial 15-2247

Pair of IRGC-AF Sukhoi Su-25UBK close air support aircraft

Iranian AB-3 (Pahpad/Seeker-1) UAV

Videos:

Photos: Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)

U.S. Commitment to Middle East Security Enduring – Hagel

The United States has a proven and enduring commitment to Middle East security, backed by diplomatic engagement and a fierce array of warplanes, ships, tanks, artillery and 35,000 troops, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said during a major speech at Manama Dialogue, a regional security forum in Bahrain today.

“We know diplomacy cannot operate in a vacuum,” Hagel said. “Our success will continue to hinge on America's military power, and the credibility of our assurances to our allies and partners in the Middle East.” (Reuters, 7 December)

Hagel's remarks came at a time of heightened uncertainties and tensions in the relationship between Washington and its longtime Gulf Arab partners. Leaders in the region are worried the United States will lose focus on the Middle East.

Hagel said the interim agreement the six major powers reached with Iran over its nuclear program had “not diminished our focus on the challenges posed by Iran.”

“Iran has been a profoundly destabilizing influence, and a nuclear-armed Iran would pose an unacceptable threat to regional and global stability,” Hagel said. (Reuters, 7 December)

Hagel added that the accord “bought time for meaningful negotiation, not for deception” and that U.S. diplomacy would ultimately be backed up by the military commitments and cooperation it has with regional partners.

To underscore the scope of the U.S. security commitment to the region, Hagel outlined the array of American military forces in the area, including more than 35,000 military personnel “in and immediately around the Gulf.” Included in that figure were 10,000 Army soldiers with tanks, artillery and helicopters.

He said the United States has deployed its most advanced fighter aircraft in the region, including the radar-evading F-22.

More than 40 Navy vessels patrol the waters nearby, including an aircraft carrier and its supporting warships, Hagel said. U.S. Navy ships have steamed through the narrow Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the gulf some 50 times in the past six months in the name of ensuring freedom of navigation.

Hagel also cited the United States military facilities in the region, including Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and the combined air operations center in Qatar.

Photo credit: U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel (R) meets with United Arab Emirates Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheik Abdullah bin Zayed in Manama, December 6, 2013.

U.S. Entering Accord with Iran ‘Very Cleared Eyed’ - Hagel

Standing on the massive deck of the Navy's USS Ponce, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the United States is entering the new nuclear pact with Iran “very clear eyed.” Hagel added that it remains to be seen whether Tehran is serious about keeping its nuclear development peaceful.

Referring to the next six months when the interim agreement will be in force, before a final deal could be worked out, Hagel said the time span presents a “very wise opportunity” to gauge Iranian intentions.

“(The next six months) present a very wise opportunity to see if the Iranians are serious about following through with commitments they have said they would make about not developing their nuclear capabilities,” Hagel told a crowd of Navy sailors and civilian mariners on the Ponce, which was docked at the U.S. base in Manama. (AP, 6 December)

“We are not going to change any of our military posture in this area or any part of the world during that six-month period. We will keep the same kind of strong assets, the same exercises, the same partnerships, the same focus on our strategic interests as we did before we entered into this six month period,” Hagel added.

Hagel’s visit to Bahrain comes less than two weeks after six major powers and Iran signed the Geneva agreement, practically freezing parts of Iranian nuclear program in exchange for some relief from sanctions.

The Ponce, which Hagel chose to use as the venue for his speech, was a former amphibious transport ship that was retrofitted to become a floating staging base. Its key ability is to provide a base for special operations forces that can then be quickly deployed into the region.

Navy has concluded that the Ponce has been a successful experiment, and have ordered the construction of four new ones at a projected cost of more than $2.1 billion. The first, called a Mobile Landing Platform, has been delivered to the fleet and the second MLP is under construction. (AP)

Photo credit: U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel speaks to military service members aboard the USS Ponce in Manama, Bahrain. Friday, Dec. 6, 2013. (Mark Wilson/Pool/AP) 

IRGC Receives New Sea-Based Missiles

The head of Aerospace Organization at Iran’s Ministry of Defense, Brig. Gen. Mehdi Farahi, told reporters in Tehran today that his organization has produced a new sea-based cruise missile with a firing speed of 300 km/h (186 miles/hour) that can be fired from fast attack craft at a speed of 30 knots. The new missiles, still unnamed, have been delivered to IRGC Navy, Gen. Farahi added. (Fars News Agency, 12 May)

IRGC Navy’s area of responsibility includes the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. The naval force, organized for asymmetrical warfare in the Gulf, has been operating a series of rockets and missiles, fit to be fired from fast attack craft, named “Zafar,” “Nasr,” “Nour,” “Ghader,” and “Ghadir.”

File photo: IRGCN fast attack craft (Jaam-e Jam/Hosein Nikpor)

Earthquake Hits Southern Iran

A 6.2 magnitude earthquake shook southern Iran early Saturday morning, followed by at least 12  aftershocks, one as big as 5.6 magnitude. The quake's epicenter was near the cities of Jask and Minab and it was felt on the shores of the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz. Preliminary reports indicate that a 2-year old boy is killed and 15 other people have been injured by the tremor.