Penguin
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Note the average depth in the Persian Gulf.
The Persian Gulf is generally very shallow (50m average), with two deeper basins going down to depths of 60 and 90 metres respectively. By comparison, while the average depth of the Baltic Sea is a similar 55m, its maximum depth is 459m. Having said that, in the Gulf, the shallows tend to be nearer to the non-Iranian coasts than to the Iranian coasts. The most relevant portion of the Persian Gulf is obviously the Strait of Hormouz, which is the deep end, relatively spreaking. An SSN wouldn't have to venture deeply into the Gulf to guard the Strait. Or it could dash in and out (which it can do much better than an SSK). To fire land attack missiles, an SSN doesn't need to leave the Gulf of Oman. Or could even be in Red Sea or the Mediterranean, of the coasts of e.g. Israel or Turkey or Saudi Arabia/Egypt. Mini-subs and small submarines could well be intended for use in blockading non-Iranian ports and oil terminals, rather than going head on with large SSKs or SSNs. Fighting them would probably not be a task for SSNs or SSKs, but rather for ASW ships, aircraft and helicopters.
Operational ranges:
Block II TLAM-A – 1,350 nmi (1,550 mi; 2,500 km)
Block III TLAM-C, Block IV TLAM-E – 900 nmi (1,000 mi; 1,700 km)
Block III TLAM-D – 700 nmi (810 mi; 1,300 km)
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