IRGC seizes US underwater drone in Strait of Hormuz escalation

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Monday, 28 September, that it has seized a second United States autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) in the Strait of Hormuz, specifically identifying the craft as a Mk 18 Mod 2 Kingfish. The statement, issued by IRGC spokesperson Second Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi, follows an earlier claim where the vessel was misidentified as a REMUS 600. Tactical Intelligence Seizure The IRGC Navy described the capture as a "coordinated and complex operation" involving military intelligence and electronic warfare. According to the state broadcaster IRIB, Iranian authorities characterized the vessel as belonging to the "American terrorist army" and alleged it was conducting espionage missions within the strategic waterway. The Mk 18 Mod 2 Kingfish is an advanced AUV equipped with sonar and precision navigation systems, valued at several million dollars. Military technicians are currently analyzing the captured system to retrieve stored data. This marks the second such underwater drone Iran claims to have intercepted in the region. The IRGC has labeled these seizures as "trophies of technology," indicating a focus on reverse-engineering or data extraction from US naval assets. Escalation in the Strait The timing of this announcement on Monday, 28 September, coincides with heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global choke point for oil transit. The IRGC statement further warned that the navy is taking…