Iran's IRGC says captured US unmanned submersible in Hormuz Strait

TEHRAN -- The navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday its forces captured one of the US Army's "most modern, smart" unmanned submarines at the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the day.

In a statement published on the IRGC's official news outlet, Sepah News, the IRGC navy said the unmanned underwater vehicle was captured in a complex intelligence and operational operation.

The submersible vehicle, identified as a Dive-LD, is equipped with the world's most modern subsurface vehicle technology, it said, noting its images will be released in the coming hours.

The IRGC also said in a separate statement on Tuesday that its air defense systems had shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Strait of Hormuz, according to Sepah News.

Following the IRGC's announcement, the US military said in a statement that one of its underwater drones "malfunctioned" over a day earlier during a survey of regional waters, without mentioning whether the device was seized by Iran.