Iranian Guards claim capture of U.S. unmanned submarine in Hormuz

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Navy announced on Tuesday that it had captured a U.S. unmanned submarine, identified as a Dive-LD autonomous underwater vehicle, at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel, built by California defense firm Anduril, is a 19-foot submersible capable of mine countermeasures, seabed mapping, intelligence gathering and inspection of underwater infrastructure.

"We trapped one of the most modern, intelligent and unmanned submarines of the terrorist American army at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. This submersible is equipped with the latest technologies," the Revolutionary Guard Navy statement said.

A Pentagon spokesperson responded that the drone had malfunctioned more than a day earlier, describing it as an older model that was not equipped with sensitive data-collection or classified sonar or radar equipment.

"It was surveying regional waters in support of ongoing operations. The defective drone was an older model that neither collected sensitive data nor carried any classified sonar or radar equipment," the spokesperson said.

Anduril confirmed the loss of a Dive-LD unit but emphasized that the system is designed to be attritable, meaning it is expected to be lost in hazardous environments.

"Dive-LD is an attritable autonomous system, meaning it is designed from the outset to operate in dangerous environments where loss of the vehicle is an expected possibility," a company spokesperson said.

The incident highlights the growing U.S. investment in unmanned naval platforms, which are promoted as cost-effective tools for monitoring large ocean areas, gathering intelligence and tracking adversary vessels without endangering crew members.