Forged by Tehran: Two Navies, Ready to Challenge the West

Bottom Line: Tehran’s military doctrine seeks to deter a conventionally superior foe, the United States, from entering its territorial waters or borders through the threat of asymmetric retaliation. But with the expansion of Iran’s maritime reach – alongside their success in various proxy conflicts – Tehran’s efforts could have lasting implications for the balance of power in the Middle East.

Background: Iran has sought to take advantage of regional conflicts through covert support for proxy groups to challenge the regional hegemony of the United States through its allies: Israel, Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Muslim Arab regimes in the region. At the same time, Tehran has tailored is military doctrine to counter and deter the United States from engaging militarily with Iran. To accomplish this, Tehran has pursued a deterrence-based model of attrition warfare – avoiding direct or sustained confrontations, and instead relying on surprise attacks and hit-and-run operations – that raises their opponent’s risks and costs in order to psychologically inhibit the willingness of opponents to fight in the first place.