Iran’s IRGC Navy Claims Second US Military Underwater Drone Seized In Strait Of Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has claimed it seized a second US military underwater drone in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran initially identified the captured vehicle as a Remus 600 but later named it as a Mk 18 Mod 2 Kingfish.

The IRGC said the drone was carrying out espionage activities in the strategic waterway and was captured during an operation involving intelligence and electronic warfare.

The claim comes as Iran continues to restrict shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while the United States has imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports.

The waterway is a major route for global oil and gas shipments, making the situation important for international shipping and energy supplies.

In a statement carried by Iranian state broadcaster IRIB on Sunday, the IRGC Navy said its forces carried out a coordinated operation to capture the underwater vehicle.

The statement said the operation used intelligence and electronic warfare capabilities to intercept the US drone, which Iran alleged was operating in the Strait of Hormuz for espionage.

The IRGC initially identified the vehicle as a Remus 600, describing it as an advanced autonomous underwater system.

It said the drone had been captured and handed over to military specialists, who were working to recover information stored on the vehicle.

IRIB also reported that military technicians were examining the system and trying to extract its technical data.

The IRGC later identified the captured vehicle as a Mk 18 Mod 2 Kingfish.

In a post on X, IRGC spokesperson Second Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi said the naval force had seized the American autonomous underwater vehicle.

The IRGC described the Kingfish as an advanced underwater system equipped with sonar and precision navigation. It also said the vehicle was worth several million dollars.

The force described the reported capture as its second seizure of a US underwater drone.

However, Iranian authorities did not explain why they first identified the vehicle as a Remus 600 and later named it as a Mk 18 Mod 2 Kingfish.

The IRGC also repeated its claim that the Strait of Hormuz was closed.

It said its forces would continue taking action against what it described as dangerous movements and unauthorised vessel traffic through the waterway.

US Military Rejects Iran’s Claim

The US military has denied Iran’s claim that it captured the underwater drone.

US Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins told Al Jazeera that the United States retained “positive control of all of our operational drone assets”.

Hawkins described Iran’s claim as “clearly desperate”.

The US military has not publicly confirmed the reported seizure.

The latest claim follows another underwater drone incident announced by Iran on September 8.

At the time, the IRGC Navy said it had intercepted and captured a US unmanned underwater vehicle near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran identified the earlier vehicle as a Dive-LD, an autonomous underwater drone developed by US defence technology company Anduril Industries.

The US military acknowledged losing an underwater drone in that incident but disputed Iran’s account of its capture.

A Pentagon spokesperson said the Dive-LD had malfunctioned more than a day before Iranian forces recovered it. The vehicle had been used to survey regional waters, the spokesperson said.

The Pentagon also said the drone had not collected sensitive data and did not carry classified sonar or radar equipment.

References: ISNA, Tasnim News