IRGC Says It Captured Advanced US Underwater Vehicle Near Strait of Hormuz

By Staff, Agencies

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy announced Tuesday that it had intercepted and captured a highly advanced unmanned American underwater vehicle near the entrance to the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement, the IRGC Navy said the seizure was carried out in the early hours of the day following what it described as a “complex intelligence and operational action.”

It said the unmanned submersible incorporates some of the world's most advanced underwater technology and was delivered to the US military in 2025.

Iranian news agency Tasnim identified the captured system as the Dive-LD, an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle developed by US defense technology company Anduril Industries and first delivered to the US Navy's Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Group 1 in 2025.

The vehicle is approximately 5.8 meters long, 1.2 meters in diameter and weighs around 2.7 tonnes. Its published specifications include an underwater endurance of up to 10 days and a maximum operating depth of roughly 6,000 meters.

The modular autonomous platform can be configured for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, seabed mapping, infrastructure inspection and mine-countermeasure missions.

The IRGC said photographic evidence and detailed footage of the captured asset would be released in the coming hours.

The seizure comes amid a sharp escalation between Iran and the United States over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most strategically important maritime chokepoints.

Recent military exchanges have included US strikes on Iranian oil tankers and Iranian missile attacks targeting US naval forces.

Iran said on September 6 that it had also struck a US unmanned vessel attempting to enter a restricted area near Hormuz.

The latest seizure further underscores Tehran's efforts to assert control over maritime activity around the strategic waterway.

The capture also adds to Iran's history of intercepting advanced US military technology, including the RQ-170 Sentinel stealth drone and MQ-9 Reaper drones, as well as various unmanned underwater and surface vessels.

Tehran has previously used captured systems to support the development of its domestic drone and unmanned naval programs.