ISLAMABAD – Strait of Hormuz is already high-risk chokepoint, and now Iranian rocket added new layer of danger. Named Fajr-5, the powerful weapon is drawing attention over claims that its platform can be adapted to send naval mines into the sea, potentially putting commercial ships directly in the line of fire.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) struck two IRGC launchers on Iran’s Larak Island after personnel were reportedly detected preparing rockets loaded with naval mines. The development drawn fresh attention to Iran’s Fajr-5 rocket system, after a similar mine-delivery concept was publicly demonstrated during an IRGC naval exercise in January 2025.
The system allows Tehran to deploy naval mines from land without sending conventional mine-laying ships or boats into waters where they could be detected and attacked. During the “Great Prophet 19” military exercise, Iranian media showed truck-mounted launchers firing multiple rockets toward the sea.
Clips show cone-shaped objects floating on the water, which Iranian sources described as naval mines. Iran’s Defense Press reported at the time that the mines were placed inside chambers resembling Fajr-5 rockets before being launched toward the sea. Iranian military-linked outlet claimed the system could potentially deliver hundreds of mines into the water within an hour. However, the publicly released footage did not clearly show how the rocket separated from the chamber or precisely how the mines entered the water.
That uncertainty has become central to questions surrounding the system’s actual effectiveness.
Fajr-5 Rockets
Fajr-5 is not a newly developed rocket. Its origins date back to the 1990s, when Iran developed the system as an unguided surface-to-surface rocket. Over the years, Iran has produced multiple variants and adapted the basic design for different missions and payloads. Iranian Defense Products Export Center specifications put the standard Fajr-5 at 333 millimeters in diameter and 4.6 meters in length.
The rocket weighs about 900 kgs and carries 175-kilogram warhead, with a declared range of around 75 kilometers. It is normally fired from a truck-mounted four-tube launcher.
Iran also unveiled newer versions, including the Fajr-5C, while Iranian sources have reported a two-stage variant with a range of approximately 180 to 190 kilometers. A thermobaric warhead has also reportedly been tested for the Fajr-5 family.
The mine-laying concept therefore represents another adaptation of an existing Iranian rocket platform — replacing a conventional explosive payload with a system designed to transport mines into the sea.
Naval experts said Tehran can deploy new mines by rocket but the mine would have to survive the violent forces generated during launch and then withstand the impact of entering the water. Rocket-based mine deployment is not simple, as the impact of a rocket hitting the water could severely damage the mines being carried.
Fajr-5’s reported payload capacity for the mine-delivery configuration is around 90 kilograms, according to an analysis published by the Center for International Maritime Security. That is lighter than many conventional naval mines used by countries such as the United States and China.
But the danger does not necessarily depend on the size of individual mines. A number of relatively small mines scattered across shipping routes could force commercial vessels to slow down, change course or temporarily avoid the area altogether.
Even a limited number of successful attacks on commercial ships could have consequences far beyond the immediate damage. Shipping companies could be forced to reroute vessels, while insurers and operators could reassess the risks of sending commercial traffic through the Strait.
The latest US strike came just two days after CENTCOM announced that mines placed along international shipping routes in the Strait had been cleared. The mine-clearance operation lasted around four months and was conducted largely at night. US Navy divers worked alongside robotic boats and unmanned underwater vehicles to search for and neutralize mines.
The scale of the challenge was underscored by an estimate from the International Maritime Organization in June that around 80 mines were present in the Strait.
US President Donald Trump later said that mines in international waterways had either been removed or rendered ineffective. Yet naval intelligence agencies have continued warning about possible drifting or unregistered mines.
Rocket-based deployment could theoretically allow Iranian forces to put mines into strategically important waters without exposing mine-laying vessels. The mobility of truck-mounted launchers could also allow crews to fire and relocate quickly, reducing the window in which they could be detected and attacked.
A 75-kilometer range could potentially allow Fajr-5-based systems positioned along Iran’s coast or islands to reach important shipping routes in the Strait, including southern approaches. That possibility is precisely why the Larak Island launchers attracted US attention.
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