US says underwater drone 'malfunctioned' after Iran claimed capture

Captain Tim Hawkins, representing US Central Command, informed reporters on Tuesday that one of the United States' underwater drones experienced a malfunction while operating in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. This occurred following Iran's assertion that its forces had captured an American unmanned submarine within the vital waterway.

The spokesperson did not provide any information regarding whether the device was indeed seized by Iran. The malfunctioning drone, which had been surveying regional waters as part of ongoing operations, was an older model. It is essential to note that this device did not gather any sensitive data or carry any classified sonar or radar equipment, according to Hawkins.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards had previously claimed to have seized a US drone at the "entrance to the Strait of Hormuz" during a "complex intelligence and operational action." They described the captured device as one of the most advanced, unmanned, and sophisticated submarines under US control. Iran has imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, which typically accommodates approximately one-fifth of the global oil and liquefied natural gas exports, since the onset of the war in late February. Meanwhile, the United States has established its own blockade on Iranian ports.