Iran Captures US Underwater Drone Near Strait of Hormuz, Pentagon Responds

TEHRAN: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized an advanced US unmanned underwater vehicle near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Washington to issue a response over the incident.

According to international media reports, US defence officials confirmed that an American underwater drone had been lost, but rejected Iran’s characterization of the incident as the capture of an operational US military submarine.

A Pentagon spokesperson said the underwater vehicle had malfunctioned more than a day earlier while conducting a maritime survey mission in the region and was subsequently recovered by Iranian forces.

US officials identified the system as a Dive-LD, an autonomous underwater vehicle developed by American defence technology company Anduril Industries.

The Pentagon described the vehicle as an earlier model and said it did not carry sensitive information, classified sonar or radar systems.

US officials said the autonomous vehicle was specifically designed to operate in challenging and dangerous underwater environments, with the possibility of its loss incorporated into its operational design.

Washington therefore rejected the suggestion that Iran had defeated and captured an active American military submarine during combat.

The Dive-LD is an approximately 5.8-metre (19-foot) autonomous underwater vehicle designed for a variety of military and maritime missions.

It can be used for detecting and clearing sea mines, mapping the seabed, conducting intelligence and surveillance missions, and inspecting underwater cables and pipelines.

The system has a reported maximum operating depth of around 6,000 metres and can remain underwater for up to 10 days.

A single Dive-LD is estimated to cost approximately $2.5 million.

The IRGC described the capture as the result of a complex intelligence and operational mission.

Iranian officials said the operation demonstrated the effectiveness of the country’s surveillance systems around the Strait of Hormuz and showed that advanced foreign underwater technology could be detected and intercepted.

The incident has added to Iran’s efforts to emphasise its control and monitoring capabilities around the strategically vital waterway amid rising tensions with the United States.

Separately, the IRGC said Iranian air-defence systems shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Strait of Hormuz.

The reported downing of the drone had not been independently verified at the time of reporting.

The underwater vehicle incident and the reported drone shoot-down come amid heightened military tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, where US and Iranian forces remain on heightened alert.

The developments underscore the growing role of unmanned aerial and underwater systems in the confrontation and highlight the increasingly contested military environment surrounding one of the world’s most strategically important maritime routes.