Since 2000, Iran has perceptively expanded its navy. Most recently, Fars News Agency reported that the Iranian Navy had added two light submarines and a missile warship to its fleet. This follows the addition of fast-action, short-range speedboats designed to slip in and out of shallow coastal waters surrounding the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf.
In June, Iran participated in a well-publicized joint naval exercise with Syria and Russia in the eastern Mediterranean.
