Latest News About Iris Kharg

Here’s the latest publicly reported status of IRIS Kharg:

• Incident and status: IRIS Kharg, Iran’s large replenishment oiler, caught a blaze and sank in the Gulf of Oman near Jask in June 2021. All 400 crew and trainees were evacuated; there were no fatalities reported at the time, and the ship eventually sank after several hours of fire. This remains the last widely reported major event for the vessel.[4][9]

• Impact and significance: Kharg was Iran’s largest naval asset by tonnage and served as a critical replenishment and support ship for blue-water operations, making its loss a notable setback for Iran’s naval logistics. Reports at the time described it as a key asset capable of replenishment at sea and housing helicopters, with only a few other Iranian vessels able to perform similar replenishment operations.[3][6][4]

• Post-2021 developments: Since the 2021 sinking, there have been no credible, widely corroborated reports of IRIS Kharg being salvaged or returned to service. The vessel remains listed as lost, and Iran has since emphasized larger replacements like the Makran, which joined the fleet in 2021, as part of its ongoing naval expansion.[6][9]

Illustration: IRIS Kharg was a modified Ol-class fleet replenishment oiler named after Kharg Island; it featured a hangar and a helipad, enabling at-sea replenishment and helicopter operations until its loss in 2021.[3][6]

If you’d like, I can pull the most recent reputable articles or official statements from naval or defense outlets to confirm any updates after 2021 and summarize them with citations.