Iran says it captured an 'advanced' American underwater drone. The US says it was older, malfunctioning, and ‘dead in the water.’

Iran's subject said it seized an American-made underwater drone adjacent the Strait of Hormuz. The US subject said the uncrewed strategy had malfunctioned and was "dead successful the water."

The Navy has employed uncrewed undersea and aboveground vessels successful and astir the Middle East for an expanding scope of missions, including clearing mines, gathering intelligence, rescuing subject personnel, and conducting strikes.

On Tuesday, Iranian state-run media said that the country's naval forces had captured an "advanced" US Navy underwater drone adjacent the entranceway to the Strait of Hormuz during an intelligence operation.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting shared photos connected societal media of what it identified arsenic the American drone, including it being pulled retired of the h2o and close-up shots of the machine.

A spokesperson for US Central Command, which oversees subject operations successful the Middle East, told Business Insider that "an underwater drone operated by US forces malfunctioned much than a time ago" while surveying location waters. The charismatic said that the undersea drone "was an older exemplary that neither collected delicate information nor carried immoderate classified sonar aliases radar equipment."

Having malfunctioned, "the drone was fundamentally dormant successful the h2o for much than a day," the spokesperson added. The breakdown occurred earlier Iran's announcement.

The incident isn't the first clip Iran has attempted to prehend a US naval drone. In September 2022, for instance, the Iranian destroyer Jamaran captured 2 American drone boats, pulling them retired of the Red Sea and examining them connected deck.

At the time, the Navy responded by sending 2 guided-missile destroyers, USS Nitze and USS Delbert D. Black, arsenic good arsenic an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter. The Iranian unit had attempted to hide the drones connected the platform by covering them pinch a tarp, but they yet released the vessels overboard.

The Navy has progressively integrated uncrewed capabilities into operations astir Iran and the Middle East. Prior to the breakout of the US warfare pinch Iran successful February 2026, the drones were mostly employed to gather intelligence and way Iranian gunboats and warships.

As fighting betwixt the US and Iran has continued this year, American forces person utilized drones successful different ways. In April, the Navy said underwater drones were assisting warships successful clearing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz.

And successful July, the Navy utilized its caller Saronic Corsair oversea drones to onslaught an Iranian submarine and vessel attraction facility. The aforesaid marque of drone besides rescued the unit of a downed US Army AH-64 Apache chopper successful location waters.