Iran Claims US Underwater Drone Capture in Hormuz Strait

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced Tuesday that it had seized an unmanned American underwater vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway through which much of the world's oil passes. Iranian officials described the craft as one of the most advanced autonomous submarines supplied to the U.S. Navy in 2025, claiming its capture followed "a lengthy and complex intelligence operation."

The Pentagon offered a sharply different account. According to a U.S. Defense Department spokesperson, the vessel in question is an older model that experienced a technical failure and stopped functioning more than 24 hours before Iranian forces recovered it. "The drone malfunctioned and carried no sensitive components," the spokesperson said, adding that the craft "was conducting regional water surveys in support of ongoing operations."

American defense officials emphasized that the disabled drone "was not collecting sensitive data and did not carry classified sonar or radar equipment." This statement directly contradicts claims published in Iranian state media, which reported that forces had "captured one of the most modern, intelligent, and unmanned submarines of the terrorist American military at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz."

The vessel is a Dive-LD model measuring 5.8 meters in length, manufactured by California-based defense technology company Anduril. The unmanned submarine can dive to depths of up to 6,000 meters and operate autonomously for 10 days. Such systems are valued at approximately $2.5 million.

Anduril confirmed the loss of the submarine but downplayed any technological setback. "Dive-LD is an attritable autonomous system, meaning it was designed from the outset to operate in dangerous environments where loss of the vehicle is an expected possibility," a company spokesperson said.