Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed it captured one of the US military's most advanced unmanned submarines during a dawn operation in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran's state television broadcast a statement from the IRGC asserting that naval forces intercepted the high-tech vessel using a "complex intelligence and operational action" at the entrance of the crucial shipping route.
Described by Iranian media as one of Washington's "smartest" subsurface assets, the unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) is reportedly equipped for seabed mapping, mine detection, and monitoring critical submarine cables and pipelines.
IRGC statement on the seizure
In its statement, the Guards said: "The IRGC naval forces captured one of the most modern, unmanned, and smart submarines of the US terrorist army at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz in a complex intelligence and operational action at dawn today."
The state-backed outlet Press TV reported that Tehran plans to publish video footage and photographs of the captured American vessel in the coming hours to substantiate its claims. Washington has not yet officially commented on the alleged capture.
Escalation in the strategic waterway
The incident marks a sharp escalation in the strategic waterway, which has remained under an Iranian blockade since hostilities broke out in late February. The choke point normally carries nearly 20% of the world's petroleum and liquefied natural gas supplies.
In response to Tehran's imposition of transit fees on passing vessels and its maintenance of the blockade, the US has imposed a counter-blockade targeting major Iranian ports.
