Tehran, Sep 28: In an incident sending ripples through global political circles, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has officially announced the seizure of a second advanced US underwater drone in the Strait of Hormuz.
Although initially identified as a ‘REMUS 600’, Iranian military spokesperson Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi has now clarified that it is an ‘Mk 18 Mod 2 Kingfish’—a multi-million dollar Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) belonging to the US military.
According to a report broadcast by Iran’s state news agency ‘IRIB’, the Iranian military successfully executed this complex operation using its advanced military intelligence and electronic warfare technology.
Iran has alleged that this covert US drone was conducting espionage on Iranian military activities within the strait.
The drone has now been handed over to Iranian technical experts, and the process of extracting the classified data contained within it has begun. The IRGC stated that this US-owned underwater device is a state-of-the-art autonomous underwater vehicle equipped with sonar and precision navigation systems.
The Strait of Hormuz is not merely an open waterway; it is an operational zone for the IRGC Navy, which targets US submarines. We have secured a second device as well—this time, an Mk-18 Mod 2 Kingfish. Valued at several million dollars, this advanced autonomous underwater vehicle features sonar and precision navigation systems.
Iran’s state broadcaster, IRIB, also aired this statement, reporting that Iranian military officials claimed the operation targeted a “second underwater vessel belonging to the US terrorist army” that was operating in the strategic waterway.
According to the IRGC statement cited by IRIB, the device was seized through a complex, coordinated operation that utilized Iran’s military intelligence and electronic warfare capabilities. “By the grace of God, IRGC Navy personnel have succeeded in capturing a highly advanced American unmanned underwater vehicle—which was operating in the Strait of Hormuz for intelligence-gathering purposes—through a complex, coordinated operation involving intelligence and electronic warfare capabilities,” the statement said.