Iran Says it Seized US Submarine Drone in Strait of Hormuz
The IRGC said the underwater drone was captured at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz during a “complex intelligence and operational action” carried out at dawn.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday that its naval forces had seized a US unmanned submarine in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, amid the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States.
The IRGC said the underwater drone was captured at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz during a “complex intelligence and operational action” carried out at dawn.
According to a statement broadcast on Iranian state television, the unmanned submarine is among the most advanced US underwater systems and was delivered to the US fleet in 2025.
Iranian media reported that the underwater vehicle is capable of conducting underwater reconnaissance and surveillance, mapping the seabed, detecting mines, and inspecting submarine cables and pipelines.
The IRGC said images of the captured vessel would be released in the coming hours.
Iran has maintained a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz since the war broke out in late February. The strategically vital waterway normally carries around one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports.
The United States has imposed a counter-blockade targeting Iranian ports.
Tehran has also said it intends to impose fees on vessels transiting the Strait to help fund services including environmental protection, a move strongly opposed by Washington.