US Navy Uses Sea Drones First Time in Iran Strike

The United States Central Command employed unmanned naval surface vessels in combat operations for the first time, striking an Iranian naval facility in Bandar Abbas. Three Saronic Corsair vessels targeted a submarine and ship maintenance facility to degrade Iranian capabilities to attack commercial shipping. The operation follows a period of escalating tension involving Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz and a subsequent U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Designed by Texas-based Saronic Technologies, the 24-foot autonomous craft are capable of carrying over 400 kilograms of explosives. The use of these one-way drone boats marks a shift in U.S. maritime combat tactics in the region.

Iran responded to the strikes by attacking two UAE tankers, leaving one person dead and eight injured. Additionally, Iranian forces launched drone strikes against U.S. military positions at the Azraq base in Jordan.