Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they captured an advanced US unmanned underwater vehicle in the Strait of Hormuz, but Washington says all American systems are accounted for.
WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES — WEB DESK: The United States has rejected an Iranian claim that its forces seized an American unmanned underwater vehicle in the Strait of Hormuz, adding another point of dispute between Washington and Tehran amid heightened tensions around the strategic Gulf waterway.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said it intercepted an American underwater vehicle during what it described as a reconnaissance mission in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian authorities said the operation involved intelligence and electronic-warfare capabilities and claimed the vehicle had been transferred to military specialists for examination.
The US military disputed Iran’s account. US Central Command said American operational underwater drones were accounted for, rejecting the suggestion that Iran had captured one of its active systems. The conflicting statements mean the alleged seizure has not been independently established.
There has also been some uncertainty in Iranian reporting over the model allegedly captured. Initial Iranian accounts identified the system as a REMUS 600, while subsequent reporting cited an Iranian military spokesperson identifying it as an Mk 18 Mod 2 Kingfish. That discrepancy is another reason the precise circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear.
The latest dispute comes as the Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of broader tensions between Iran and the United States. The narrow waterway is strategically important to international energy shipments, making military developments in and around it closely watched by governments and global markets.
Recent reporting has also indicated that Washington and Tehran could resume diplomatic engagement over the Strait, even as both sides continue exchanging warnings and conflicting claims about military activity in the region.
For now, Iran’s assertion that it seized the American underwater vehicle remains a claim disputed by the United States, rather than a mutually confirmed account of the incident.
