IRGC Says ‘Smart Submarine’ Operated By US Seized In Hormuz, Releases Images

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy announced Tuesday it had captured an unmanned US submersible at the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz, a claim which corresponding photographs appear to back.

The US side has yet to confirm the capture of the advanced naval drone, but some reports suggest it was “lost” after failing to operate properly. The IRGC statement called it a “complex intelligence and operational action.”

Tasnim identified the captured system is a Dive-LD in a report, describing the autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle built by US defense firm Anduril Industries.

The Dive-LD is a very new, cutting edge weapon system, having only been delivered to the US military in 2025. It is able to operate up to ten days at a time without coming back to port or ship, and is reported to have a maximum operating depth of about 19,700 feet (6,000 meters).

Later on the same day, an unnamed US official issued the following (via Newsquawk wire):

US official says a US military underwater drone malfunctioned more than a day ago in the Middle East

The sea drone may have been operating as part of a US mission to de-mine the Strait of Hormuz. It is capable of mapping the ocean floor, as well as rapidly locating floating mines and other water hazards.

There have been recent widespread reports that elite Navy Seals have been engaged in a four-month mission to remove mines set in place by Iranian forces as part of its effort to close the Strait of Hormuz and hold global energy markets hostages to use as leverage against Washington.

This undoubtedly confirms that in recent weeks, the U.S. has attempted to conduct a covert operation to clear the Strait of Hormuz.

In fact, this naval drone is precisely a Dive LD, primarily used for mapping the seabed, inspecting underwater infrastructure, relaying and… https://t.co/z6zV7tmxDq pic.twitter.com/Cjb3egGW50

— MoloMonitor (@MoloWarMonitor) September 8, 2026

The above was not the only big Tuesday announcement by the Iranians:

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims its air defenses have “intercepted and destroyed” an MQ-1 drone over the Strait of Hormuz, according to an IRGC statement carried by Iranian broadcaster IRIB.

The MQ-1 is a US-made remotely piloted drone often used for surveillance and reconnaissance.

The Pentagon has not yet definitively weigh in on this claim either. A huge number of advanced US drones have either crashed or been intercepted throughout the war, so this would hardly be the first such loss by American forces.

More images of sub capture: The submersible shown closely matches Anduril’s Dive-LD, an advanced large-displacement autonomous underwater vehicle deployed by the US Navy.

IRGC captures advanced U.S.-made underwater drone in Strait of Hormuz

The IRGC Navy has released new footage and photographs of the autonomous underwater vehicle it says it captured while entering the Strait of Hormuz.

The vehicle shown closely matches Anduril’s Dive-LD,… pic.twitter.com/8t2QBtpmro

— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) September 8, 2026