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According to the Financial Times, some of the boats are lightly armed, but others are equipped with short-range missiles. The publication emphasizes that, combined with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) arsenal of missiles and drones, they have helped Iran "maintain a threat" sufficient to deter ships from transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
The publication claims that the "mosquito fleet" is Iran's most active surface force. According to the newspaper, the Iranian navy allegedly uses both cheap, easily replaceable Iranian-made boats and more sophisticated models.
The "mosquito fleet" could play a central role in controlling the Strait of Hormuz even after hostilities with the US and Israel end, the publication believes.
On February 28, the US and Israel began striking targets in Iran, killing over 3,000 people. Washington and Tehran declared a ceasefire on April 8. Subsequent talks in Islamabad ended inconclusively, with no resumption of hostilities reported, but the United States began a blockade of Iranian ports.