Sepah Navy Special Force

Special Unit of NEDSA
Special Unit of NEDSA
یگان ویژه ندسا
Country	Iran
Allegiance	Supreme Leader of Iran
Branch	Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Type	Special forces
Role	Special operations
Part of	Navy
Garrison/HQ	Greater Farur Island
Engagements	Gulf of Aden anti-piracy operations
Commanders
Current; commander	Commodore Sadegh Amoie

The Special Unit of NEDSA (Persian: یگان ویژه ندسا),^[2] also known as Sepah Navy Special Force (S.N.S.F.) (Persian: نیروی ویژه دریایی سپاه),^[1] is a Takavar unit in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy stationed in the Greater Farur Island of Persian Gulf.^[1]

Mission set[edit]

The unit has marines, frogmen and snipers specializing in heliborne, amphibious warfare and naval boarding.^[2]

SNSF personnel train in combat diving, direct action, counterterrorism, special reconnaissance, underwater demolitions, amphibious assault, hostage rescue, and maritime visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) operations. Among the unit’s missions is to protect Iranian commercial vessels, and SNSF personnel have deployed to the Gulf of Aden to assist with Iranian counterpiracy operations.^[3]

Operations in Gulf of Aden[edit]

In 2012, the unit performed a 117-days operation in Gulf of Aden to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia. The unit has collaborated with the American forces in the operation, for instance an American Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk did reconnaissance for the unit's boat.^[2]

MSC Aries ship seizure[edit]

On April 13 2024, days after an Israeli bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Iranian naval commandos seized a civilian ship, belonging to Zodiac Maritime, under a Portuguese flag.^[4]^[5]

Weapons[edit]

The Iranian produced Tondar SMG (Heckler & Koch MP5) 9mm is known to be used by the unit. The Spanish produced Star Model Z84 sub-machine gun is also favored by the unit. The Iranian produced AKM 7.62x39mm is also used by the unit in some situations. AK-103 is used by this force.^[6]