Iran's Revolutionary Guards Claim Second US Underwater Drone Seizure

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said on September 27, 2026, that it had seized a second unmanned US underwater vehicle in the Strait of Hormuz, days after announcing an earlier capture, while Washington has not confirmed or denied the claim.¹⁶⁴²

A second capture claimed

According to Iranian and Russian state media, Iran's Navy reported halting and capturing an American Remus 600 autonomous underwater craft within the Strait of Hormuz on September 27.⁶⁴

The Iranian army described the operation in a statement carried by TASS: "During a complex operation involving electronic warfare and intelligence data, Iranian Navy servicemen were able to intercept a state-of-the-art US military drone conducting espionage activities in the Strait of Hormuz." Euronews reported that the IRGC Navy attributed the capture to a joint intelligence and electronic-warfare effort, and said the device was turned over to Iranian military specialists so its data could be extracted.⁶¹

The Jerusalem Post likewise reported the IRGC's account that the vehicle had been conducting espionage and was captured using intelligence and electronic warfare capabilities, though this characterisation has not been independently confirmed.⁴

Identification revised

By September 28, the IRGC had changed its description of the captured device, saying it was in fact a Mk 18 Mod 2 Kingfish worth several million dollars rather than the Remus 600 it had named a day earlier, according to the Tribune. IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi confirmed the seizure on social media, and Iran's state broadcaster IRIB reported the IRGC statement characterising the drone as espionage equipment.⁵

An IRGC statement quoted by the Tribune said: "The Strait of Hormuz is not only open, but a hunting ground for the IRGC Navy targeting American submarines; the second catch has been reeled in, this time the Mk 18 Mod 2 Kingfish." The IRGC also declared the waterway closed, adding: "The IRGC Navy firmly declares that the Strait of Hormuz is closed and we are taking strong and relentless action against dangerous movements."⁵

Closure declared, ceasefire proposal rejected

According to news.webindia123.com, the IRGC Navy declared the Strait of Hormuz closed and said Iran had proposed a seven-day ceasefire that would include a US lifting of its naval blockade of Iranian ports, a waiver of sanctions on Iranian oil sales, and the release of twelve billion dollars in frozen Iranian assets, with reopening of the Strait on the sixth day and nuclear talks beginning on the seventh. The report said Donald Trump rejected the proposal.²

President Masoud Pezeshkian, addressing crowds after returning from the UN General Assembly in New York, said: "We stand firm with strength, we are at the service of our people, we will stand until our last breath." Armed forces spokesperson Abolfazl Shekarchi said in a television interview: "The Americans should not dream of interfering in the management of the Strait of Hormuz, and if they interfere, they will receive a slap," adding that any vessel passing outside Iran's designated route "will not have security."²

Warnings of confrontation

The Jerusalem Post reported that Army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia cautioned that the US might mount another strike on Iran because of the country's regional standing, adding that Iranian forces stood ready for battle and that any fresh American assault would incur heavier losses for Washington. Amir Hatami, the Army's commander-in-chief, described the conflict as having reached a pivotal and decisive point, saying: "If Iran cannot trade, if Iran cannot live, no one will be able to trade or live. He added that the Strait of Hormuz represents the nation's dignity and honour, and said it could not be used by Iran's adversaries as a major logistical corridor while ordinary Iranians go without.⁴

Euronews pointed out that this marked the second occasion within a short span that Iran had asserted it captured American underwater equipment, following an earlier claimed seizure of a Dive-LD device near the Strait's mouth, a claim that Washington likewise has not addressed publicly. Euronews also reported that Iran has announced plans to charge vessels transit fees through the Strait and that Washington has introduced restrictions on access to Iranian ports.¹

The vehicle in question

Euronews reported that Remus 600 units are operated by the US Navy along with multiple NATO countries and are capable of diving as deep as 600 metres. Per Wikipedia, 175 Remus 600 units have gone to buyers in America, Britain, Australia and Japan, the model reaches speeds of up to 5 knots with roughly 70 hours of endurance at normal cruising speed, and it entered service with the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf in 2012. Wikipedia also notes an earlier case in 2018 in which Houthi forces in Yemen captured a US Navy Remus 600, and a 2024 video showing Ansar Allah fighters with a captured unit.¹³