Iran says it captured a second US underwater drone, Centcom rejects claim
A Mk18 Mod 2 Kingfish unmanned underwater vehicle. (Image courtesy; X.com/@IRANinBiH)
New Delhi: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it captured a second US unmanned underwater vehicle in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, identifying the system first as a Remus 600 and later as a Mk18 Mod 2 Kingfish. US Centcom rejected the claim, saying American operational drone assets remain accounted for and under US control.
The IRGC said the alleged seizure followed what it described as a “coordinated and complex operation” involving intelligence oversight and electronic warfare. It claimed the vehicle had been conducting espionage and said military specialists were examining the system and attempting to retrieve data stored on it.
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting IRIB carried the IRGC statement, which also reiterated Tehran’s claim that the Strait of Hormuz was closed and warned against what it described as unauthorized maritime traffic. The Iranian declaration does not by itself establish the operational status of the waterway, where shipping has been heavily disrupted, but some vessels continue to transit.
Identification shifts
Iran initially described the alleged vehicle as a Remus 600 before a later IRGC account identified what it called its “second catch” as a Mk18 Mod 2 Kingfish. US Navy material describes the Mk18 Mod 2 as a Remus 600 variant, meaning the two designations are related but neither independently confirms that Iran has captured an operational US military vehicle.
The US Navy uses Mk18 Mod 2 systems primarily for expeditionary mine-countermeasure missions, including locating and classifying mine-like objects. Unmanned underwater vehicles can also support mapping, hydrographic surveys, inspection and reconnaissance.
Why Iran calls it a ‘second’ capture
The claim follows a separate incident on September 8 when Iran took possession of a US Dive-LD autonomous underwater vehicle near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. The Pentagon acknowledged that the vehicle had malfunctioned more than a day earlier and said it was an older system that carried no classified equipment or sensitive data.
The latest case differs because Washington has not acknowledged losing the vehicle described by Iran. Centcom says none of its operational unmanned assets is missing, leaving Tehran’s latest seizure claim without independent confirmation.
The dispute comes as the Strait of Hormuz remains heavily affected by the wider Gulf conflict. US energy information administration data show oil flows through the waterway averaged 4.9 million barrels per day in the second quarter of this year, down from 21 million barrels per day a year earlier.
The waterway also remains important to India because of Gulf energy supplies, commercial shipping and Indian seafarers operating across the region. During the UN general assembly high-level week, New Delhi reiterated its commitment to freedom of navigation and the safety of seafarers and commercial shipping.
Iran therefore maintains that it has captured another American underwater vehicle, while Centcom says all operational US drone assets remain under American control.
