WASHINGTON D.C.: The United States military has firmly denied claims made by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that it captured an advanced American unmanned underwater surveillance vehicle in the Strait of Hormuz, calling the assertion “clearly desperate”, Al Jazeera reported.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins on Sunday (local time) refuted the Iranian statements, asserting that all American unmanned systems operating in the region remain fully accounted for.
Captain Hawkins said the United States maintains “positive control of all of our operational drone assets” and described the IRGC’s claims as “clearly desperate”.
The development comes after the IRGC Navy claimed that it had seized an unmanned autonomous vehicle (AUV) – REMUS 600 – that was later confirmed to be a “Mk 18 Mod 2 Kingfish” belonging to the United States military in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to an official statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB on Sunday, the operation targeted what Iranian military authorities characterised as the “second subsurface [submarine] of the American terrorist army” operating in the strategic waterway.
The IRGC stated that the capture was executed through a “coordinated and complex operation” leveraging Iranian military intelligence oversight and electronic warfare capabilities.
“With the help of God Almighty, the IRGC Navy soldiers, through a coordinated and complex operation with intelligence and electronic warfare, were able to trap an advanced UAV of the American terrorist army that was operating in the Strait of Hormuz for the purpose of espionage,” the statement read.
The intercepted platform was earlier identified by the IRGC Navy as a Remus 600, an intelligent, autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle, which Iranian officials alleged was conducting espionage missions inside the strait.
“This submersible is a type of intelligent and advanced submersible called the Remus 600, which was captured by the IRGC Navy and is now in the hands of the force’s specialists to retrieve its information,” it added.
IRIB cited the IRGC statement as confirming that the captured submersible has been handed over to specialist military technicians to analyse the system and recover stored data.
The IRGC Navy further reiterated its firm stance on maritime transit through the choke point, declaring the Strait of Hormuz closed and warning that it continues to take “strong and relentless” action against unauthorised traffic in the region, IRIB reported.
“The IRGC Navy firmly declares that the Strait of Hormuz is closed and we are taking strong and relentless action against dangerous movements and unauthorised traffic through the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement added.
