Iran Seizes Two U.S. Underwater Drones in Strait of Hormuz

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized two American unmanned underwater vehicles in the Strait of Hormuz within a short period. The first capture involved a Dive-LD autonomous vehicle designed by Anduril Industries for deep-sea mapping and surveillance. General Hossein Mohebbi announced on September 22 that Iran would reverse engineer the craft to acquire advanced American undersea technology.

U.S. officials and Anduril Industries characterized the Dive-LD incident as a mechanical malfunction, claiming the vehicle held no classified payloads. However, the IRGC Navy subsequently seized a second craft, a Remus 600 unmanned underwater vehicle, during a reconnaissance operation. The IRGC described the second seizure as a coordinated operation and stated that specialists are currently analyzing the vehicle's data.

Following these captures, the IRGC declared that the Strait of Hormuz is closed and vowed to continue acting against illegal transit. These events follow a period of escalation that began on July 8, when President Donald Trump terminated a ceasefire and the United States Armed Forces conducted strikes on Iranian territory. Iran responded by striking U.S. facilities in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman.