Tehran, Sep 2026 : Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has claimed that its forces captured a US unmanned underwater vehicle near the entrance of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, describing the system as one of the US military’s most advanced and sophisticated autonomous submarines.
According to a statement published by the IRGC’s official news outlet, Sepah News, the unmanned underwater vehicle was seized during what the Iranian force described as a complex intelligence and operational mission. The IRGC identified the vessel as a Dive-LD, saying it incorporates advanced subsurface technology.
The IRGC said images of the captured underwater vehicle would be released shortly. The claim could not be independently verified, while details surrounding the circumstances of the alleged seizure remained unclear.
In a separate statement issued on Tuesday, the IRGC also claimed that its air defence systems had shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Strait of Hormuz. The announcement comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States and growing military activity around the strategically vital waterway.
The US military, however, said one of its underwater drones had malfunctioned more than a day earlier while conducting a survey of regional waters. In its statement, the US military did not confirm whether the unmanned underwater vehicle had been captured by Iranian forces.
The competing claims come against the backdrop of renewed tensions between Tehran and Washington. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that his country would continue to resist what he described as aggression until those responsible were forced to regret their actions.
In a post on X, Pezeshkian reiterated Iran’s stated opposition to war while defending the country’s right to respond to attacks.
He said Iran had consistently opposed conflict and believed that protecting the interests of its people and ensuring security in West Asia required avoiding warmongering. At the same time, he said Iran would continue its resistance with strength and protect the rights of the Iranian people.
The latest developments follow a major escalation that began on February 28, when Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel as well as US military bases and assets across the region.
The conflict also saw Iran tighten its control over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy transit routes. The waterway remains critical to global oil and gas shipments, making any military confrontation in the area a matter of international concern.
On June 18, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the regional conflict. The agreement envisaged negotiations within 60 days to work towards a final settlement. That deadline expired on August 17, but the future of the talks remains uncertain amid the latest escalation and continuing tensions between the two countries.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
