Iran’s Revolutionary Guard captured American underwater drone

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed Sunday that its naval forces intercepted and seized an American autonomous underwater drone in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a claim the U.S. military quickly denied.

In a statement broadcast on state media, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said it captured a REMUS 600 unmanned underwater vehicle following a “coordinated intelligence and electronic warfare operation.” Iranian officials said they transferred the vessel to military specialists to extract stored data.

The U.S. military’s Central Command, which oversees American forces across the Middle East, refuted the Iranian assertion shortly after.

“We have positive control of all of our operational drone assets,” CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins told Al Jazeera.

The reported incident marks the second time in recent days that Tehran has claimed to intercept American undersea equipment in the volatile shipping corridor. The IRGC previously stated it had seized a Dive-LD, a long-range autonomous vehicle manufactured by California-based defense firm Anduril. Washington has not publicly commented on that earlier claim.

The REMUS 600 is a modular, torpedo-shaped submersible originally engineered by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and manufactured by Hydroid, a subsidiary of HII Mission Technologies.

Measuring 12.75 inches in diameter and weighing approximately 530 pounds, the vehicle can dive up to 600 meters (1,968 feet) and has an operational endurance of up to 70 hours.

Utilized by the U.S. Navy and NATO partners, the craft carries sonar, cameras, and oceanographic sensors primarily used for seabed mapping, mine countermeasures, and underwater reconnaissance.

The dispute comes amid heightened military tensions and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant portion of the world’s petroleum passes. In its Sunday release, the IRGC Navy reiterated its posture that the waterway remains closed and warned that Iranian forces would confront unauthorized naval activity.

Iran’s top military officer, Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami, reinforced that stance Sunday, describing the waterway as “the strait of our honor” and asserting that Tehran would prevent foreign forces from using the transit point.

“The war is not over,” Hatami said in remarks carried by state media. “We have won, but we must consolidate this victory, and the aggressor enemy, which has suffered severe blows, must still be ready to receive severe blows from the dear Iranian soldiers.”

Hatami also renewed calls for Persian Gulf nations to expel American military units, arguing regional stability requires the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces.

U.S. officials dismissed Tehran’s declarations regarding the waterway. U.S. President Donald Trump addressed the standoff Sunday, expressing confidence that regional pressure and energy volatility would subside shortly.

“Oil prices will decrease as soon as Iran gives up, as soon as the war is over, which will be soon,” Trump told reporters.