Iranian Missile Strikes USS Gonzalez — 46 Minutes Later, B-2s Were Over Shiraz

February 13, 2026, at 22:31 local time marked a pivotal moment in modern naval warfare.

The USS Gonzalez, a 9,200-ton destroyer, was operating in the Arabian Sea under strict emissions control, attempting to remain undetected while conducting classified intelligence-gathering operations.

Approximately 85 nautical miles south of Iran’s Chabahar port, the Gonzalez was alone and vulnerable, completely unaware that Iranian intelligence had accurately pinpointed her location and mission profile.

At 22:31, a Fate 313 short-range ballistic missile, launched from a concealed position in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province, struck the Gonzalez.

This was not just another missile strike; it signified a concerning breach in American operational security, revealing that Iranian intelligence had successfully infiltrated American naval movements.

Over the next 46 minutes, the events that unfolded would expose both an intelligence failure on the part of the United States and a demonstration of its relentless capacity for retaliation.

To understand the gravity of the situation, we must examine what went wrong.

The Gonzalez was ᴀssigned to a specific patrol box, an area of ocean designated for collecting signals intelligence from Iranian military communications.

This mission had been meticulously planned by intelligence analysts at Fifth Fleet headquarters, with timing synchronized to satellite pᴀsses.

However, this comprehensive planning had been compromised.

Declassified ᴀssessments later revealed that Iranian intelligence had gained access to American naval movements through human sources, likely contractors with access to sensitive operational data.

While the information was not precise enough to target individual ships, it was sufficient to identify patterns, leading the Iranians to monitor the patrol box for three weeks and position a Fate 313 battery within range.

On February 13, as the Gonzalez entered the designated area, the Iranians launched their missile 17 minutes later.

The Fate 313 is a solid-fuel tactical ballistic missile with a range of 500 kilometers and a warhead weighing 450 kilograms.

While its accuracy was initially marginal for hitting ships, the Iranians had upgraded their guidance system to include an electro-optical terminal seeker, allowing the missile to recognize and track its target using real-time imagery compared to stored profiles of American warships.

At 22:14, the Fate 313 launched, and as the Gonzalez operated under emissions control, her radar remained pᴀssive, failing to detect the incoming threat.

As the missile climbed to its apogee at 47 kilometers, it began its descent.

By 22:28, the Gonzalez’s electronic warfare systems detected unusual signals, identifying the Fate 313’s terminal seeker transmitting targeting data.

With only three minutes to impact, Lieutenant Commander David Park, the officer of the deck, faced a critical decision: break emissions control and activate radar or maintain cover.

He chose to activate the radar, which lit up at 22:29, detecting the incoming ballistic missile.

Time was running out, and the fire control system required precious seconds to calculate solutions.

At 22:29:18, two SM-6 missiles launched, followed by a third at 22:29:34.

The ship’s close-in weapon system (CIWS) activated and began tracking the incoming missile.

However, the first SM-6 missile pᴀssed 65 meters behind the target due to the Fate 313’s terminal maneuvers, which had thrown off the intercept solution.

The second SM-6 missile was on a converging course, but at 22:30:49, it scored a proximity detonation that fragmented the Fate 313’s airframe without destroying the warhead.

Now tumbling and uncontrolled, the warhead continued its descent.

The third SM-6 missile lost its target, and the CIWS engaged the tumbling warhead at 22:31:01, striking it multiple times before it detonated at an alтιтude of 180 meters above the Gonzalez.

The blast wave struck the destroyer from above, a direction naval ships are not designed to withstand.

The impact resulted in the destruction of radar arrays, shredded communications antennas, and shattered bridge windows, while fragments rained down on the weather decks.

In the chaos, four sailors were killed instantly by shrapnel: Petty Officer First Class Michael Rodriguez, Petty Officer Second Class James Chin, Seaman Anthony Williams, and Seaman Apprentice Marcus Thompson.

Additionally, 19 sailors were wounded, five critically, and the ship’s medical staff initiated triage operations on the flight deck.

With her A/SPY-1D radar destroyed and primary communications offline, the Gonzalez was effectively blind and deaf.

Captain Jennifer Walsh, unharmed and in the combat information center below decks, quickly ᴀssessed the situation.

Her first order was to establish backup communications using a surviving satellite communications terminal.

Next, she ᴀssessed the ship’s weapons capability and confirmed that the vertical launch system was undamaged, allowing for a counter-strike.

At 22:38, Captain Walsh contacted Fifth Fleet, reporting four ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, 19 wounded, and the ship combat ineffective for air defense, but added that the Tomahawk capability was intact and ready for execution upon authorization.

Vice Admiral Richardson received the report at 22:40 and was already aware of the Fate 313 launch detected by the USS Baton, which had tracked the missile’s trajectory.

Richardson faced a critical decision: prioritize defensive measures to escort the damaged Gonzalez back to port or address the new Iranian capability that had resulted in American casualties.

Recognizing the need for retaliation, he authorized a strike at 22:44, targeting not only the Fate 313 battery but also the research complex in Shiraz, Iran, where precision guidance systems were developed.

At 22:48, the strike package was finalized, consisting of eight Tomahawk missiles aimed at the Fate 313 battery and B-2 Spirit bombers tasked with striking the Shiraz facility.

The Gonzalez began launching its Tomahawks at 22:54, while the B-2s, which had been orbiting over the Arabian Sea, crossed into Iranian airspace at 22:56.

These stealth bombers, capable of evading radar detection, approached their targets undetected.

At 23:17, 46 minutes after the Gonzalez was hit, the first weapon struck the Fate 313 battery, destroying the launchers and killing approximately 30 personnel.

The secondary targets received their Tomahawk strikes shortly thereafter, with one legitimate facility destroyed and another, a decoy, left untouched.

At 23:24, the B-2s reached Shiraz, where they targeted the hardened guidance research facility.

Utilizing a flight path that exploited gaps in radar coverage, they dropped 32 GBU-31 JDAMs, including penetrators and bunker busters, which decimated the facility.

Subsequent ᴀssessments estimated around 60 casualties, including 12 engineers specializing in electro-optical guidance systems, with the loss of expertise expected to take years to recover.

As the B-2s exited Iranian airspace at 23:31, Captain Walsh received confirmation that all targets had been destroyed.

Standing on her damaged bridge, she processed the grim reality: four of her sailors were ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, and her ship would require six months of repairs.

While the Fate 313 battery was eliminated, the Shiraz strike served as a stark reminder of the lengths to which the United States would go in response to attacks on its forces.

The diplomatic fallout was swift, with Iran labeling the Shiraz strike as terrorism and demanding international sanctions.

In contrast, the U.S. presented evidence linking the facility to military operations, emphasizing its role in developing precision-guided missiles.

The international response was mixed, with some European allies questioning the proportionality of the strikes, while Russia and China called for UN action.

Despite the mixed reactions, the message was clear: America would not only target the weapons that attacked but also the factories and personnel behind them.

The calculus of escalation had shifted once more, with both sides demonstrating new capabilities that raised the stakes in the ongoing conflict.

The USS Gonzalez returned to service after extensive repairs, and her new crew trained to adapt to the realities of modern naval warfare.

Meanwhile, Iran began rebuilding its guidance research program at a more secure location, indicating that the cycle of attack, response, adaptation, and escalation would continue.

In just 46 minutes, the dynamics of power in the region shifted dramatically, showcasing the speed and precision that define contemporary military power and the ongoing conflict in the Persian Gulf.