The United States did not deny that the Revolutionary Guards seized an underwater drone at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz — but they did push back on its significance. While Iran’s state news agency IRNA broadcast the organization’s announcement describing the captured vessel as a cutting-edge unmanned submarine, a U.S. official countered that it was an older model carrying no classified sonar equipment. According to the official, the drone had malfunctioned more than a day earlier while conducting operations in the field.
Read more: Donald Trump: Iran will not have a nuclear weapon — and has no chance of getting one. Reports emerge of a U.S. underwater drone seized by the Revolutionary Guards
Revolutionary Guards release photos and footage
As early as Tuesday afternoon, September 9, Iran’s official state news agency reported that the Revolutionary Guards had seized an American unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. According to IRNA, their naval forces “captured at dawn one of the most advanced underwater drones in the U.S. military’s arsenal at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.” Iranian media outlets reported that the vessel is used for missions including “seabed reconnaissance and surveillance, inspection of underwater cables and pipelines, seabed mapping, and mine detection.” IRNA further indicated that the seizure was carried out as part of an “intelligence-based operation,” with the agency noting that photographs of the vessel “would be released shortly.” That promise was kept — images and video were subsequently made public.
WATCH: Iran shows the first footage of captured US unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV). pic.twitter.com/BtKW3WDLxx
— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 8, 2026
