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Iran is deploying explosive-laden drone boats masquerading as wooden fishing vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a defense expert has warned – a move that signals a new phase of hybrid maritime warfare in one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes.
Cameron Chell, CEO of drone technology firm Dragonfly, spoke after the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed that a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker was hit by an Iranian unmanned surface vehicle on March 1 north of Muscat, Oman.
“UKMTO has received confirmation that the ship was attacked by an unmanned surface vehicle (USV), and the crew has been evacuated to shore,” the UKMTO said in its threat assessment.
Reports also indicate that two additional oil tankers were hit by remote-controlled explosive boats in the Gulf on March 11, as Iran stepped up attacks on foreign vessels following the launch of US Operation Epic Fury against the regime on February 28.
Fire breaks out at Iran’s Bandar Abbas Naval Headquarters, traffic halted in the Strait of Hormuz
Trump’s military deployment against Iran has led to a decline in shipping in the Persian Gulf. (Morteza Nicoubzal/Nurfoto via Getty Images)
Highlighting the technological capabilities behind these attacks, Chell warned, the use of so-called “suicide skiffs” represents an increasing asymmetric threat in the narrow, 21-mile-wide strait.
“The Iranians likely have access to radio remote control, line of sight, frequency hopping, or encrypted radio communications between the skiffs and the Hormuz coastline,” Chell told Fox News Digital.
“They can be jammed and tracked, but when there are 50 of these boats, it’s difficult to try to find them all on this shoreline or find a 20-foot wooden fishing boat loaded with explosives.
“They can have one person controlling a swarm of 10 boats,” he said, before explaining how “they can also have autonomous swarms where they can have 10 boats that can operate with a large degree of independence, because they’re pre-programmed.”
“The boats will be used to engage and detonate the target,” Chell explained.
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Naval units from Iran and Russia simulate the rescue of a hijacked ship during joint exercises at the port of Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan, Iran, Feb. 19, 2026. (Iranian Army/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Chell’s comments came after a March 12 Reuters report that six ships were attacked in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
Iran also deployed about a dozen mines, the sources said, complicating efforts to maintain any traffic through the vital waterway.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant told Sky News on Thursday that the US Navy, potentially with an international coalition, would escort the ships if militarily possible.
Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey also said discussions were underway with European counterparts to emphasize the global economic stakes linked to the strait. However, Chell questioned the current defensive readiness.
“The drone defense fleets that the U.S. Navy would have established would not have been able to take out these suicide skiffs,” Chell said.
“The US will use manned aircraft to take them out, which are fantastic at taking out a large target, but are incapable of taking out 50 boats of average 25 or 30 feet size loaded with explosives at one time.
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Screenshot of a maritime traffic terminal showing ships in the Strait of Hormuz on March 4, 2026. (Kepler/Marine Traffic)
“Given the geographical location of the strait, there will be a need for patrolling by multiple aircraft and extensive surveillance over the area, with quick response to any activity taking place,” he said.
Oil prices continued to rise as Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to keep the strait closed for leverage against the US and Israel, with Shell also highlighting Iran’s geographical advantage.
“The geographical layout of the Strait is very suitable for relatively unsophisticated suicide skiffs, unmanned surface vehicles or USVs,” he warned, before describing how the area is “suited for this low-cost, automated, asymmetric warfare.”
“The Iranians can disguise them as fishing boats and be anywhere from 12 to 30 feet and a boat can be of any description,” Chell said.
“These skiffs are equipped with basic remote control capabilities that may or may not utilize GPS waypoints or manual remote control.”
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He said, “Skiffs are not autonomous, because the distance across the strait is so short, and it is so flat on this waterway, that communications signals can be carried for quite a long time through line of sight.”
“Literally they can have hundreds of them at a time because it’s so cheap to even defend against them,” Chell said.
