Videos and photos released by sources in Iran reportedly show the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in possession of a US-designed autonomous submarine captured in the Strait of Hormuz. The Zioneer cannot independently verify the footage or the circumstances of the capture.
Photos and videos circulating on Telegram and attributed to Iranian sources show the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in possession of a US autonomous submarine captured earlier in the week, The Zioneer has reviewed. The release, made public Wednesday, provides the first visual evidence of the seizure, which was first reported on Tuesday.
Reports on Tuesday evening (Tue Sep 8, 19:03 Jerusalem) indicated that the IRGC had seized an American unmanned underwater vehicle in the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command responded, confirming the vehicle had suffered a malfunction and was not carrying sensitive equipment or classified sonar. Hours later, the IRGC described the captured vehicle — identified as a Dive-LD underwater drone — as among the "most advanced" in the US inventory, a claim The Zioneer assessed as substantially exaggerated, noting it is a conventional, commercially developed UUV built around off-the-shelf components. The following morning, an IRGC advisor cited the capture as an opportunity for Iran to leapfrog in autonomous navigation systems, recalling the precedent of Iran's 2011 capture of a US RQ-170 surveillance drone.
The incident unfolds against a backdrop of heightened US-Iran friction in the strategic waterway. The Zioneer has previously reported on US airstrikes targeting IRGC naval infrastructure in Hormozgan Province (June 2026).
The authenticity and date of Wednesday's footage remain unverified, and no official confirmation from the US military or the IRGC has been issued as of Wednesday evening.
4 developments
- StrongIranian channels claim IRGC downed US drone over Strait of Hormuz
- DevelopingIRGC Says Its Air Defense Systems Intercepted MQ-9 Drone Over Strait of Hormuz
- DevelopingIRGC claims it struck US military facility in Kuwait, attacked vessel near Hormuz
- StrongIRGC attacked vessel in Strait of Hormuz overnight, Channel 14 reports
Source and signal
- Open-source intake