It is charged with the responsibility of forming Iran's first line of defense in the Gulf of Oman and

beyond with the mission of acting as an effective blue-water navy.[1] However, it is generally

considered as a conventional green-water navy[4] as it mostly operates at a regional level, in
the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman but also as far afield as the Red Sea, the Mediterranean
Sea and northwest quarter of the Indian Ocean.[1] In July 2016, the Navy said that it would
establish a presence in the Atlantic Ocean.[5]

In August 2000, Iran announced that it had launched its first domestically produced light
submarine or swimmer delivery vehicle, named the Al-Sabiha 15 because of its 15 meters length,
in an official ceremony at the Bandar Abbas naval base. In May 2005, Iran navy announced that
it had launched its first Ghadir-class midget submarine and on 8 March 2006 announced that it
had launched another submarine named Nahang (Persian: whale).
During 2000, the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy Aviation significantly improved its capability by
taking delivery, from Russia, of a number of Mi-8 AMT (Mi-171) transport/attack helicopters.
Under a contract signed in 1999, Russia agreed to supply 21 Mi-171s to Iran. Delivery was
completed in 2001; although the exact number destined for the navy was unknown. In summer
2001, there were indications that Iran would order a further 20 Mi-171s, although as of mid-2004,
it was not known if this had occurred.
In November 2002 sources at both Iran's Aerospace Industries Organisation (AIO) and the China
Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation(COSIC) confirmed that the two groups were
working on common anti-ship missile production and development. The effort, which Iranian
sources call Project Noor, covers the short-range C-701 and the long-range C-802 weapons
developed by COSIC's China National Precision Machinery Import and Export Co subsidiary.
The possibility that a formal collaborative project was under way was first raised in 1998, when
Iran displayed an Anti-Ship missile design similar to the 15-kilometre (9.3 mi) range C-701 shortly
after the Chinese system was unveiled.

Tentera Laut Republik Islam Iran (Bahasa Parsi: ‫)نیروی دریایی ارتش جمهوری اسالمی ایران‬
disingkatkan NEDAJA (Bahasa Parsi: ‫)نداجا‬, adalah cabang peperangan laut bagi  Tentera
Republik Islam Iran (Artesh).[1][3]
Ia diberi tugas mengawal garisan pertahanan pertama Iran di Teluk Oman serta diluarnya
dengan misi bertindak sebagai angkatan laut lepas yang efektif.[1] Akan tetapi, ia secara
umumnya dianggap sebagai angkatan laut sempadan yang konvensional[3] kerana ia
kebanyakannya beroperasi pada peringkat serantau, iaitu di Teluk Parsi dan Teluk Oman tetapi
juga beroperasi jauh ke Laut Merah, Laut Mediterranean dan barat laut Lautan Hindi.[1] Pada
Julai 2016, pihak Tentera Laut menyatakan ia akan membuat kehadiran di Lautan Atlantik, bagi
tempoh yang tidak ditentukan. [4]
Salah satu dari dua cabang tentera maritim Iran bersama dengan Tentera Laut IRGC, fungsi dan
bidang tanggungjawabnya bertindih dengan tentera laut yang lain, tetapi ia berbeza dari
segi strategi ketenteraan dan peralatan. Berbeza dengan Tentera Laut IRGC, yang dilengkapi
dengan kapal serang laju yang kecil, tulang belakang inventori tentera laut Artesh terdiri daripada
kapal-kapal permukaan yang lebih besar, termasuk frigat, korvet, dan kapal selam. [3]