One-Day War Erupts—Guess Who Sinks

Iran fired a U.S.-made Harpoon missile at American warships in 1988, and the U.S. Navy answered by sinking the Iranian boat in the same clash.

Quick Take

Iran’s Joshan fired a Harpoon missile during Operation Praying Mantis.
U.S. ships returned fire with missiles and gunfire, then sank Joshan.
The wider operation began as retaliation for Iran mining USS Samuel B. Roberts.
U.S. Navy histories describe the April 18, 1988 strike as a major surface battle with no U.S. casualties.

Harpoon Missile Exchange Turned Into a One-Day Naval Fight

On April 18, 1988, the U.S. Navy launched Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian targets in the Arabian Gulf after the mining of USS Samuel B. Roberts four days earlier. During that fight, the Iranian missile boat Joshan fired a Harpoon missile at American ships, and U.S. forces answered with missile and gunfire that sank the boat. The clash became one of the most famous ship-versus-ship battles in modern naval history.

The Harpoon missile angle matters because it shows how old Cold War arms sales came back to haunt the region. According to naval and defense histories, Iran had received Harpoons before the 1979 revolution, and one of those missiles was fired at U.S. warships during the battle. The U.S. Navy history also makes clear that the larger operation was a response to Iran’s mine attack, not a random strike.

Operation Praying Mantis Was a Retaliatory Strike

U.S. Navy history says the operation was launched in retaliation for the mine that crippled USS Samuel B. Roberts. The American response struck Iranian oil platforms used for military purposes and attacked Iranian naval units that came into the fight. That made the battle both a punishment for Iran’s earlier escalation and a direct move to stop further attacks on Gulf shipping and U.S. forces.

Still, the record is more precise than the political slogan. The Navy history centers on retaliation and mission goals, not on a formal declaration that Joshan alone was being singled out as a punitive target. Joshan was destroyed because it fired first in the ship duel and kept closing on U.S. warships. That is a plain combat fact, even if the larger operation carried a clear retaliatory message.

Joshan Became the Best-Known Part of the Battle

Sources in the Navy history and later coverage describe Joshan as part of a battle that sank two Iranian ships and badly damaged a third. The U.S. side reported no civilian or American casualties, and the operation ended with all stated objectives achieved. That outcome helped turn Praying Mantis into a lasting example of American naval power used fast, hard, and with clear effect.

The Iranian frigate IRIS Sahand burning from bow to stern on 18 April 1988 after being attacked by the US Navy during Operation Praying Mantis pic.twitter.com/bREecfEQla

— Historyland (@HistorylandHQ) August 10, 2026

For readers who remember the era of tanker wars, mines, and Iranian provocation, the lesson is blunt. Iran used a Harpoon missile against U.S. warships, but the American reply was overwhelming and immediate. The episode also showed that U.S. force can still impose a steep cost when a hostile navy fires first and refuses to back down.