Iran Captures US Submarine In Hormuz After Attack On 5 Oil Tankers

Tehran: The Iranian navy has claimed to have captured one of the US military's "most modern, smart" unmanned submarines at the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement published by Sepah News, the official news outlet of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the navy said it captured the unmanned underwater vehicle -- identified as a Dive-LD -- in a complex intelligence operation.The submersible vehicle is equipped with the world's most modern subsurface vehicle technology, it said, and released a video of the captured vehicle. Footage released by Iranian media shows what the IRGC claims is an American Dive-LD unmanned submarine captured today. Iran says the vessel is now in its possession. pic.twitter.com/POWlEHHnd5— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 8, 2026In a separate statement, the IRGC also claimed that its air defence systems had shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Strait of Hormuz, Sepah News reported.US ResponseFollowing the IRGC's announcement, the US military also released a statement saying one of its underwater drones "malfunctioned" over a day earlier during a survey of regional waters, without mentioning whether the device was the one seized by Iran."It was surveying regional waters in support of ongoing operations. The defective drone was an older model that neither collected sensitive data nor carried any classified sonar or radar equipment," a Pentagon spokesperson said.The US military is investing heavily in unmanned naval systems, including underwater and surface vessels, as it seeks cheaper ways to monitor vast areas of ocean, gather intelligence, and track adversary ships and submarines without putting sailors at risk.According to Anduril's website, Dive-LD can operate for up to 10 days without returning to base and is designed to dive to depths of as much as 6,000 meters (19,700 feet). Dive-LD units cost about $2.5 million each, U.S. military news site DefenseScoop reported in 2024.The US Central Command (CENTCOM) also claimed that its troops have destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers following attacks on a US warship by Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The US strikes were in response to two Iranian efforts to hit the warship with ballistic missiles over the past two days, the CENTCOM said in a social media post. Meanwhile, the US Department of the Treasury has put 27 Iranian airlines on its Specially Designated Nationals List, thus targeting all remaining Iranian airlines in a bid to step up pressure on Iran. The department claimed that "Iran's commercial airlines have long supported the Iranian regime's destabilising activities," with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps using ostensibly private airlines for the procurement and transport of weapons and the ferrying of personnel.The United States first sanctioned Iranian airline Mahan Air in October 2011 and targeted multiple companies seen as general sales agents of Mahan Air on July 30.The sanctions also targeted "covert front companies, foreign intermediaries, and deceptive transshipment routes that Iran relies on to obtain US-origin aircraft and sensitive technology," according to a statement. Iran's DefianceMeanwhile, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said that the country will continue its resistance with strength until the "aggressors" are brought to complete regret.In a post on social media platform X, he also highlighted Iran's opposition to war."The Islamic Republic of Iran has always been opposed to war and considered the preservation of the people's interests and ensuring the (West Asia) region's security to lie in refraining from warmongering," Pezeshkian said."However, just as it has courageously risen to defend against aggression up to this day, Iran will continue this resistance with strength until the aggressors are brought to complete regret and will remain the guardian of the rights of the great Iranian people," he added.US-Iran WarOn February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US bases and assets in the region and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.On June 18, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the war in the region. Under the MoU, they were scheduled to hold negotiations within a period of 60 days, which ended on August 17, to reach a final agreement, but the talks' fate remains unclear following the recent escalations between the two countries.