World
Iran Claims Capture of US Underwater Drone Near Strait of Hormuz; Pentagon Downplays Incident
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Tuesday that it had seized a US unmanned underwater vehicle near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as one of the most advanced systems used by the American military. A statement carried by Sepah media referred to the vessel as the "most modern, smart" unmanned submarine device available to US forces. Iranian state media identified the equipment as a Dive-LD autonomous underwater vehicle, built by California-based defense technology firm Anduril Industries. The IRGC Navy said it intercepted the vehicle at the strategically significant strait and called it a "prize" now held by Iran.
The Pentagon offered a different account of events. A spokesperson said the underwater drone had malfunctioned more than a day before Iran announced its capture, while it was conducting survey operations in regional waters as part of ongoing US military activity. According to the spokesperson, the vehicle was an older Dive-LD model that had not gathered sensitive data and was not equipped with classified sonar or radar systems.
Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command, told DefenseScoop that the drone had been non-functional, or "dead in the water," for over a day before Iranian forces claimed to have seized it. Hawkins added that US operations in the region were continuing as normal.
Anduril confirmed that one of its Dive-LD vehicles had been lost but minimized the incident's military importance. A company spokesperson explained that the Dive-LD is an "attritable" autonomous system, meaning it is built to function in high-risk environments where loss of the device is an accepted possibility. The company said the vehicle's role is to reduce the need for personnel to operate in hazardous undersea conditions, noting that the system had already provided substantial operational value across thousands of hours of use within the US Central Command region.
The Dive-LD measures about 5.8 meters (19 feet) in length and weighs approximately three tons. Anduril says the vehicle can remain deployed for up to 10 days without returning to base and can dive to depths of roughly 6,000 meters (19,700 feet). Its modular design allows it to be fitted with various sensors and payloads for tasks including intelligence gathering, surveillance, reconnaissance, mine detection, seabed mapping, and inspection of undersea infrastructure such as cables and pipelines.
US defense officials have increasingly invested in autonomous underwater and surface vehicles to monitor wide areas and track potential threats without placing sailors at risk. DefenseScoop reported in 2024 that each Dive-LD unit cost about $2.5 million at the time. The US Navy started receiving these systems in 2025 for use by its unmanned undersea units. Anduril is also providing the Navy with a larger version, the Dive-XL, which shares design features with Australia's Ghost Shark autonomous submarine.
The reported seizure could give Iran insight into more advanced underwater technology than it currently produces domestically. Iran has developed its own autonomous and weaponized underwater systems, some of which have reportedly been supplied to Yemen's Houthi movement, based on analysis of weapons shipments. Analysts suggest the incident may allow Iran to study the design of the US system, and there has been speculation—though no confirmation—that any information obtained could be shared with allies such as Russia or China.
The IRGC released images and video footage showing a partially submerged vehicle whose shape, flood holes, fastenings, and small transparent mast appeared consistent with the Dive-LD design. However, the exact circumstances surrounding the vehicle's recovery remain unclear. According to the US account, the drone had already stopped functioning before it came into Iranian possession.