> deploy and do what exactly?
To get sunk by a $20k drone, the most likely outcome at that point
Cheap drones are only effective against relatively soft targets. Weak penetration and small warheads limit their utility.
Many countries already have long-range drones designed to attack ships i.e. anti-ship missiles. They cost $1-2M a piece. It would still require a minimum of many direct hits to sink a modern aircraft carrier, as commonly demonstrated for SINKEX.
How would a drone sink a carrier? If Iran could do that they would already have sunk the American carriers.
The risk at the straights aren't drones but torpedoes and mines and attack boats.
> How would a drone sink a carrier?
Ask Ukraine, they've been sinking russian warships left and right, even in their own ports
A drone payload can only sink a small ship, there is no way a single drone can sink a carrier. And the amount of drones Iraq can launch today isn't enough to get through a carriers defenses.
Russia-Ukraine war is different since there are many more drones and neither side has air superiority. Also most of those kills were done by missiles or sea drones, not the shahed drones Iran has that costs 20k.
Iran has surface and submarine drones too, I know you cant sink a carrier with a shahed