Iran claims seizure of US underwater drone in Strait of Hormuz

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the seizure of a US underwater drone in the Strait of Hormuz, marking another point of tension between Tehran and Washington over activities in the strategically vital waterway. The Guards identified the captured device as a Remus 600, a small autonomous underwater vehicle typically used for oceanographic research and reconnaissance missions. According to the Iranian military statement, the drone was conducting surveillance operations in the contested waters when it was intercepted. The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-third of global maritime oil trade passes, has been a flashpoint for confrontations between Iranian forces and Western naval assets in recent years. The US Navy regularly conducts operations in the waterway, which Iran considers part of its territorial waters, while the United States maintains that international law permits transit through the strait. The incident adds to a series of maritime encounters in the region, where Iranian authorities have previously apprehended other unmanned systems and vessels they accused of unauthorized operations. Officials in Washington have not yet publicly responded to Iran's claim regarding the drone seizure.