Conflict & Security
US drone claimed by Iran had no sensitive data, US says
The US military said Tuesday that one of its underwater drones malfunctioned and carried no sensitive data after Iran claimed its forces captured an American unmanned submarine in the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said the drone malfunctioned more than a day earlier while surveying regional waters in support of ongoing operations. He did not say whether the device had been seized by Iran.
Hawkins said the defective drone was an older model that neither collected sensitive data nor carried classified sonar or radar equipment.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards had earlier said they seized a US drone at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz in a complex intelligence and operational action. The Guards described it as one of the most modern unmanned submarines operated by US forces.
Iranian media had reported that the unmanned underwater vehicle could be used for subsurface reconnaissance and surveillance, seabed mapping, mine detection, and inspection of submarine cables and pipelines.
The Strait of Hormuz normally carries about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas exports. Iran has maintained a blockade of the waterway since the war broke out in late February, while the United States has imposed its own blockade of Iranian ports.
Update
US Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said the defective drone was an older model.
Hawkins said the drone neither collected sensitive data nor carried classified sonar or radar equipment.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 19:29:23 UTC.
Update
US Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said the underwater drone malfunctioned more than a day earlier.
Hawkins said the drone was surveying regional waters in support of ongoing operations.
The US statement did not say whether the drone had been seized by Iran.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 19:18:35 UTC.
Update
The US military said the underwater drone had malfunctioned after Iran claimed to have captured it.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 19:05:55 UTC.
Update
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said the unmanned submarine was delivered to the US military fleet in 2025.
The Guards said images of the captured device would be released in the coming hours.
Iranian media reported the vehicle's capabilities included subsurface reconnaissance, seabed mapping, mine detection and inspection of submarine cables and pipelines.
Iran said it plans to charge fees from vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to fund services including environmental protection.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 15:25:01 UTC.
Update
Iran's Revolutionary Guards described the submarine as unmanned, modern and smart.
The Guards said the seizure took place at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz at dawn on Tuesday.
The Guards said the operation was a complex intelligence and operational action.
The statement was carried by Iranian state television.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 15:01:09 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The US military did not say whether Iran seized the malfunctioning drone.
The US and Iranian descriptions of the drone's age, sophistication and capabilities differ.
Source
AFP news report published on .