Iran Says It Captured U.S. Military’s Most Modern Unmanned Submarine In Strait Of Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday that it had seized a U.S. underwater drone near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. has not confirmed the seizure. American officials said the underwater drone stopped working a day earlier and may have drifted into Iranian waters.

The IRGC said its naval forces found the drone near the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state television said it was an advanced U.S. unmanned underwater vehicle.

Iran said the drone was added to the U.S. fleet in 2025. The IRGC also released a video that it said showed the drone.

The U.S. military said the drone was being used to survey waters in the region.

U.S. defence officials told Fox News that it was a large underwater drone made by Anduril. They said it was a commercially available model.

The drone had sonar and radar but no classified sonar or radar equipment, the officials said. They also said it was not collecting sensitive information.

One U.S. official said the drone may have stopped working because it had been used for too long.

Three sources told Fox News that Iran did not stop or intercept the drone. They said it stopped working on its own.

The drone was not armed and did not carry sensitive technology, the sources said. Its operators could also erase data from the drone remotely.

Fox News reported that the IRGC video appeared to show the missing Anduril drone.

The U.S. government has not officially confirmed that Iran captured the vehicle.

What the Drone Can Do?

The drone is called Dive-LD and is made by Anduril.

Anduril says it can operate for up to 10 days without returning to its base. It can dive to depths of up to 6,000 metres (19,700 feet).

DefenseScoop reported in 2024 that each Dive-LD cost about $2.5 million.

Iranian media said the drone can survey underwater areas and map the seabed. It can also find mines and check underwater cables and pipelines.

The U.S. military is using more unmanned ships and underwater drones. They help monitor large areas of the sea and track ships and submarines without putting sailors at risk.

Per reports, the U.S. Navy had 23 drones operating on, under or above the water in the Strait of Hormuz the previous day.

The IRGC also said its air defence systems had shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Strait of Hormuz.

Tensions remain high between Iran and the United States around the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. Central Command said American forces had destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers.

CENTCOM said the action came after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard tried twice to attack a U.S. warship with ballistic missiles over two days.

References: ndtv, timesnownews