Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that it had seized an advanced U.S. unmanned underwater vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, escalating a series of competing military claims between Tehran and Washington as tensions in the Gulf continue to intensify.
Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported on Tuesday, September 8, that the IRGC Navy intercepted and captured what it described as one of the U.S. military’s most advanced intelligent unmanned underwater vehicles operating in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
According to the IRGC, the unmanned submersible was detected during maritime operations in the Gulf before being “captured and taken into possession” by Iranian naval forces.
The U.S. military has not issued an official statement confirming that any unmanned underwater vehicle was lost or captured in the Strait of Hormuz.
The reported seizure comes amid a sharp escalation in military exchanges between Iran and the United States in the Gulf. Over recent days, Iran has claimed missile attacks on U.S. naval vessels, while Washington has accused the IRGC of targeting American military assets in regional waters.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most strategically significant waterways, carrying roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies. Any confrontation in the narrow shipping corridor raises concerns about maritime security, commercial shipping and global energy markets.
The latest claim follows a statement from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) saying American forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers after repelling two ballistic missile attacks launched by the IRGC against a U.S. Navy warship. CENTCOM said the American vessel successfully intercepted both missile attacks, remained operational and suffered no casualties.
The competing claims by Tehran and Washington have further heightened tensions across the Gulf, where both sides continue to accuse each other of attacks on military and maritime targets.
