Iran-US war latest: US says submarine drone ‘malfunctioned’ after Tehran celebrates capture of unmanned vessel

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday it had captured a US uncrewed submarine at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, offering a rare glimpse into how underwater drones are being used in military operations.

Iranian state media said the vessel was ⁠a Dive-LD, a large autonomous underwater vehicle ​built ⁠by California defense firm Anduril. The 19-foot (5.8-metre) submersible can carry out missions including mine countermeasures, seabed mapping, intelligence gathering and the inspection of ⁠underwater infrastructure such as cables and pipelines, the company has said.

“We trapped one of ​the ⁠most modern, intelligent and unmanned submarines ‌of the terrorist American army at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. This submersible is equipped with the latest technologies,” the Revolutionary Guards ‌Navy said in a statement carried by Iranian state ‌media.

Japan’s foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi has urged Iran to exercise “maximum restraint” over its continued attacks on vessels during a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday.

Motegi also expressed “deep concern” over renewed exchanges of attacks between the US and Iran and called on Tehran to show “maximum flexibility” to avoid prolonging the standoff with Washington, Mainichi reported.

He also reportedly stressed the importance of restoring free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible, without vessels incurring additional costs.

The US has imposed fresh Iran-related sanctions on individuals and more than 30 entities, including several airlines.

A notice posted on the treasury department’s website lists a number of commercial and private airlines targeted by the sanctions, including Iran’s Ava Airlines, Mehr Airways and Taban Air.

Several foreign cargo service providers have also been sanctioned.

“Let this be a warning to anyone doing business with Iran’s remaining airlines, all of which we sanctioned today: You are at risk of being cut off from the global financial system,” US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said.

Anduril confirmed the loss of one of its vessels after a US submarine drone malfunctioned, but downplayed the significance of the incident.

“Dive-LD is an attritable autonomous system, meaning it is designed from the outset to operate in dangerous environments where loss of the vehicle is an expected possibility,” a company 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 metres (19,700 ‌feet). Dive-LD units cost about $2.5 million each, ​U.S. military news site DefenseScoop reported in 2024.

Iran says it has captured a US Dive-LD unmanned submarine near the Strait of Hormuz.

“We trapped one of the most modern, intelligent and unmanned submarines of the terrorist American army at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. This submersible is equipped with the latest technologies,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said.

The Pentagon said the drone had “malfunctioned more than a day ago”.

“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,” the spokesperson said.

“Dive-LD is an attritable autonomous system, meaning it is designed from the outset to operate in dangerous environments where loss of the vehicle is an expected possibility,” the California defence firm Anduril that makes Dive-LD said.

Iran is signalling a tougher military response to the US as economic pressure mounts, analysts tell The New York Times.

“How do you regain the momentum? You escalate,” Farzan Sabet, an Iran analyst at the Geneva Graduate Institute, a research group told the outlet.

“It’s highly damaging, but at the same time, they hope it raises global oil prices or fully re-closes the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.

Mohammad Ali Shabani, an Iran analyst and editor of the regional news website Amwaj.media told the outlet: “All signs point to a make or break moment. I’m not sure the Iranians are going to wait until after the elections to be attacked if diplomacy fails.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said on Wednesday that it had attacked two US vessels and eight oil tankers in the Gulf in response to what they described as a US attack on five Iranian tankers, Iranian state media reported.

The Guard said they had also attacked 10 ships attempting to cross what they described as a “prohibited and unsafe” area of the Strait of Hormuz.

Donald Trump has reiterated that Iran has “no chance of getting” a nuclear weapon.

Speaking at an event in Washington, he said: “I will tell you, we’re right now fighting because we have a certain nation that wanted a nuclear weapon.”

“They were very close to getting it. And now they have no chance of getting it. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.”

Iran says that it’s not pursuing nuclear weapons, and its program is entirely peaceful.

US Central Command has released footage showing an Iranian tanker sinking in the Gulf of Oman after it was “destroyed by Centcom forces” on Tuesday.

Centcom said the strike was carried out “in response to attempted attacks” on a US navy warship by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.