TEHRAN, Iran: Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy said Tuesday it seized an unmanned U.S. underwater drone. The seizure occurred at the Strait of Hormuz entrance.
The IRGC said its naval forces captured the vehicle during an intelligence and operational mission at dawn. Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported the claim.
The Guards identified the vehicle as a Dive-LD autonomous underwater system made by U.S. defence technology company Anduril Industries.
According to the IRGC, the vehicle is about 5.8 metres long and weighs nearly three tonnes. The U.S. Navy received it in 2025.
Iran said the system was now in its custody and that it would release images. The initial IRNA report did not include an independent verification of the seizure. An American military underwater drone malfunctioned while operating in Middle Eastern waters.
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The IRGC Navy has released footage showing the captured U.S. Navy Dive-LD autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) seized in the Strait of Hormuz. pic.twitter.com/XN379Kcpkh
— Ebrahim Zolfaghari (@IranTimes72) September 8, 2026A U.S. official told Reuters that the vehicle was an older model and carried no classified sonar or radar equipment. That account differs from the IRGC’s description of the vehicle as an advanced Dive-LD system.
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The incident comes amid heightened military activity around the Strait of Hormuz. The strategic waterway links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.
