Key facts
- Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed seizure of a US underwater drone in the Strait of Hormuz.
- The US military stated the drone malfunctioned more than a day before the alleged capture.
- US Navy Capt Tim Hawkins described the drone as an older, defective model.
- The drone was not carrying classified sonar or radar equipment, according to a US official.
- The Strait of Hormuz normally carries about one-fifth of the world's oil and gas shipments.
Iranian forces claimed on Tuesday to have seized an American underwater drone in the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway crucial for global energy shipments. The US military, however, stated that the drone had malfunctioned more than a day prior to its alleged capture.
US Navy Capt Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for United States Central Command, said the submersible drone was conducting surveillance in regional waters when it became defective. He clarified that it was an older model that neither collected sensitive data nor carried any classified sonar or radar equipment. Operations in the area continue, he added.
Earlier, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that its naval forces had captured "one of the most modern, unmanned, and smart submarines of the US terrorist army" at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian TV reported the IRGC described the capture as a "complex intelligence and operational action at dawn."