Naval Powers of Israel, Iran & The U.S Compared

The current geopolitical situation in the Middle East is tense, with significant implications for global maritime security. The three main actors involved in the tussle have different naval capacities, defence doctrines and strategies, which will be discussed in this article.

The U.S Navy, the most powerful navy in terms of technological prowess and capacity, faces challenges of sustained deployment and the changing nature of asymmetric warfare. Iran has the advantage of its geography and its power of sea denial and diverse missile arsenal, meanwhile Israel is an Island Economy dependent on maritime trade, and prioritises coastal defence and deterrence, but faces difficulties in securing distant sea lanes of trade.

A potential naval conflict between Israel, Iran and the U.S would likely involve Iran attacking shipping and infrastructure, with the U.S Navy trying to maintain sea control and project power, along with Israel taking defensive and retaliatory measures.

This situation would lead to global inflation, as war risk premiums, fuel costs and general operational costs of shipping would