Washington DC (US), September 28, 2026, BNN Web Staff: The US military has denied Iran’s claim that its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy seized an American unmanned underwater surveillance vehicle in the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins told Al Jazeera that all US unmanned systems operating in the region remained accounted for.
He said the US military maintained “positive control” of its operational drone assets and described the Iranian claim as “clearly desperate.”
The denial followed a statement by the IRGC Navy claiming it had captured an advanced autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) while it was operating in the strategic waterway.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that the IRGC initially identified the platform as a REMUS 600 and later described it as a Mk 18 Mod 2 Kingfish, a US military unmanned underwater vehicle.
According to the IRGC, the vehicle was intercepted during what Iranian authorities described as a “coordinated and complex operation” involving intelligence and electronic warfare capabilities. The force alleged that the vehicle was conducting surveillance in the Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC also claimed that the captured vehicle had been handed over to military specialists to examine the system and retrieve information stored on it.
The claims come amid heightened tensions surrounding maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy transit route. The IRGC Navy reiterated its position that the waterway was closed and warned against what it described as unauthorised or dangerous maritime movements.
The US military, however, has rejected the central claim that one of its underwater unmanned systems was captured.
