Arabic version: الولايات المتحدة تقول إن المسيّرة التي ضُبطت في هرمز كانت معطلة

According to Cnbc, the U.S. military said an unmanned submersible reportedly seized by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz was defective and contained no sensitive data or classified equipment. U.S. Navy Captain Tim Hawkins said the underwater drone had malfunctioned more than a day earlier while surveying regional waters in support of ongoing operations.

Hawkins, speaking in a statement shared by U.S. Central Command, said U.S. operations in area waters were continuing. He described the device as an older model that neither collected sensitive data nor carried classified sonar or radar equipment.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard earlier said it had trapped and captured what it called one of the most modern, intelligent, unmanned submarines of the U.S. military at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, according to a translated post from Iranian state news outlet Fars. Fars later published videos and images that purported to show the vessel out of the water.

Iranian media identified the submersible as a Dive-LD, an autonomous undersea vehicle developed by U.S. defense contractor Anduril. DefenseScoop reported in 2024 that the vehicles cost $2.5 million each. The reported seizure came three days after the U.S. and Iran exchanged new attacks in the Persian Gulf. Central Command said it struck three Iranian crude oil carriers after the Guard fired ballistic missiles at two Navy warships.

The episode also highlighted the U.S. military’s growing use of autonomous technology in the Middle East. This summer, unmanned boat startup Saronic used a drone vessel to rescue crew members from a helicopter that went down in the Strait of Hormuz. Its boats were later used in a strike on an Iranian submarine and ship facility.