Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy Seizes U.S. Anduril Dive-LD Drone Near Strait of Hormuz

Iran said it seized a U.S. underwater drone near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, while the U.S. said the system was "dead in the water" after malfunctioning more than a day earlier.

“"dead in the water"”

Reuters

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy said it had "trapped one of the most modern, intelligent and unmanned submarines" at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, and Iranian state media identified the vessel as an Anduril Dive-LD.

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A Pentagon spokesperson said the underwater drone "malfunctioned more than a day ago" and was surveying regional waters in support of ongoing operations.

DefenseScoop reported that U.S. Central Command source Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins said the drone was "essentially dead in the water for more than a day," and that it was an older Anduril Dive-LD model.

Reuters also reported that Dive-LD can carry out missions including mine countermeasures, seabed mapping, intelligence gathering and inspection of underwater infrastructure such as cables and pipelines.

The drone dispute unfolded as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Wednesday they struck two American vessels and eight oil tankers in the Gulf, retaliating for the U.S. destroying five Iranian tankers.

CNBC reported that the IRGC said the targeted vessels had attempted to cross an area of the Hormuz Strait it had designated "forbidden and unsafe," according to a statement published by semi-official Tasnim News Agency.

CNBC

Centcom said the U.S. warship successfully evaded Iranian attack and that no American personnel were harmed, and it said American forces directed crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck.

The Guardian reported that the U.S. said it had "destroyed" several Iranian tankers after Iran attempted to strike a U.S. navy warship with ballistic missiles, and that American forces directed crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck.

Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state, told reporters during a trip to Colombia that "Iran continues to try to hit US naval ships" and that "for every time they do that or try to do that, they’re going to lose tankers."

The incident highlighted how the U.S. is investing in unmanned naval systems, with Reuters saying the U.S. military is investing heavily in unmanned naval systems as it seeks cheaper ways to monitor vast areas of ocean and track adversary ships and submarines.

“Dive-LD units cost about $2.5 million each”

Reuters

Reuters also reported that Dive-LD units cost about $2.5 million each, and that the 19-foot (5.8-metre) submersible can operate for up to 10 days without returning to base and is designed to dive to depths of as much as 6,000 metres.

DefenseScoop said Centcom spokesperson Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins emphasized that the defective drone "neither collected sensitive data nor carried any classified sonar or radar equipment," while Anduril said the Dive-LD is designed for dangerous environments where loss of the vehicle is an expected possibility.

The Guardian added that Iran has maintained a blockade of the strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about one-fifth of the global oil and gas shipments, since the outbreak of the war more than six months ago.

In parallel, CNBC reported that Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dismissed U.S. sanctions as a rehash of a failed strategy, writing on X: "After failing to achieve its aims through sanctions or war, Washington's 'novel' solution is…more sanctions. Seriously?"