Iranian Rockets May Be Used for Laying Mines in the Sea, Says Chinese Media

According to a report by Reference News on September 24, the powerful weapon known as the "Dawn"-5 rocket in Iran has garnered attention, as it is said that its launch platform can be modified for deploying naval mines into the sea.

The U.S. Central Command has struck two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launch sites on Iran's Larak Island. Prior reports indicated that U.S. officials discovered Iranian personnel preparing to launch rockets equipped with naval mines. This development has refocused attention on Iran's "Dawn"-5 rocket system. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps publicly demonstrated a similar mine-laying concept during a naval exercise in January 2025.

Reports suggest that the system enables Tehran to lay naval mines from land without deploying conventional mine-laying vessels into easily detectable and attackable waters. During the military exercise, Iranian media showcased images of a vehicle-mounted launcher firing multiple rockets into the sea.

Iranian media reported that the naval mines were placed inside a compartment similar to that of the "Dawn"-5 rocket and then launched into the sea. However, the publicly released video did not clearly show how the rocket separated from the compartment, nor did it specifically demonstrate how the naval mines entered the water.

The reports pointed out that the "Dawn"-5 is not a newly developed rocket; its origins can be traced back to the 1990s when Iran developed this unguided surface-to-surface rocket system. Over the years, Iran has produced various modifications and adjusted the basic design for different missions and warheads.

Specifications from the Iranian side indicate that the standard version of the "Dawn"-5 rocket has a diameter of 333 millimeters, weighs approximately 900 kilograms, and carries a warhead weighing 175 kilograms, with a publicly stated range of about 75 kilometers. It is typically launched from a vehicle-mounted quadruple launcher. Iran has also introduced newer versions, including the "Dawn"-5C.

Thus, this mine-laying concept represents another modification of the "Dawn"-5—replacing the conventional high-explosive payload with a system designed to deliver naval mines into the sea.

Naval experts say that while Tehran can lay new naval mines using rockets, it is not an easy task, as the mines must withstand the severe forces generated during launch and the impact upon entering the water.

An analysis released by the International Maritime Security Research Center shows that the effective payload capacity of the "Dawn"-5 when performing mine-laying missions is about 90 kilograms, which is lower than many conventional naval mines.

However, the level of threat may not necessarily depend on the size of a single naval mine. Several small mines scattered across a shipping lane can be sufficient to force vessels to slow down, change course, or even temporarily avoid the area altogether.

The report states that theoretically, using rockets to lay naval mines allows the Iranian military to deploy mines in strategically significant waters without exposing mine-laying vessels. The high mobility of the vehicle-mounted launcher enables operators to quickly launch and relocate, thereby shortening the time window for detection and attack.

The 75-kilometer range means that "Dawn"-5 systems deployed along the Iranian coast or on islands can cover important shipping lanes within the Strait of Hormuz, including the lanes to the south of the strait. This is why the launch facilities located on Larak Island have attracted the attention of the U.S. (Translated by Zhu Jie)