After years of an ongoing shadow war between Iran and Israel, a top Iranian military commander revealed that his country had, some time ago, hit 12 Israeli vessels north of the Indian Ocean and elsewhere in response to Israel’s attacks on 14 Iranian ships.
Hossein Salami, chief commander of Iran’s Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), made the remarks on Saturday during a meeting in the capital Tehran between President Masoud Pezeshkian and commanders of the Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters, an Iranian firm controlled by the IRGC.
For the last 20 years, Iran and Israel have not officially confirmed any mutual attacks in their regional waters, with the first known incident occurring in January 2002.
Both countries have managed to keep tensions in check, although they spiked between 2019 and 2024.
Salami did not specify exact dates for the so-called “ship war”, but said it happened during Donald Trump’s presidency and the coronavirus pandemic, roughly between 2017 and 2021.
During this time, Israel and the US targeted Iranian ships to limit Iran’s military activities and disrupt oil shipments amid sanctions.
According to the Mehr government news agency, the top official referred to this period as “challenging,” noting that the IRGC faced tough conditions with Trump in office, economic sanctions, and the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our enemy placed us at the crossroads of sanctions, the coronavirus pandemic, Trump (who was no less harmful than the coronavirus), the threat of military operations, and pressure for political isolation,” Salami said.
“Initially, we did not realize who or which country was targeting the ships, but we eventually found out that it was Israel that had done it in a secretive and vague manner,” revealed Salami.
“North of the Indian Ocean and in different places, we hit 12 Israeli ships. After hitting the fifth vessel, they raised their hands in surrender and said they would cease the war between the ships,” he said.
Salami claimed that Iran has now secured all maritime routes previously targeted by enemies, ensuring safe passage for ships.
He didn’t specify whether the IRGC or the Houthi militias in Yemen were behind attacks on Israeli vessels.
After the breakout of the Hamas-Israel war in 2023, attacks on ships increased, with the Iran-backed Houthis, initially targeting Israeli-linked vessels, now also attacking ships tied to the US and the UK.
