The IRGC has released footage of a burning unmanned surface vessel it says belonged to the US military<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has destroyed a US Saildrone Explorer reconnaissance vessel at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, releasing footage showing the unmanned craft burning in the water.
\nThe IRGC Navy said on Thursday that the vessel, identified by hull number 5838, was struck while operating near the strategic waterway. Iranian state media described it as an American surveillance drone, but the US military has not confirmed the loss.
\n\u201cThe American terrorist and aggressor army, over the past few days, out of fear of approaching and confronting the fighters of Islam, has dispatched its unmanned vessels to the Strait of Hormuz,\u201d the IRGC said.<\/p>\n
The Iranian Navy: We have struck a US unmanned vessel, with hull number 5838, at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. pic.twitter.com\/WyesLWXI47\u2014 IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) September 10, 2026 <\/p>\n
The strategic waterway remains under Tehran\u2019s control and \u201cintelligence surveillance,\u201d the IRGC added, warning that \u201cany hostile presence in this strategic strait will be targeted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Iran seizes \u2018most modern\u2019 US submarine drone (VIDEO)<\/p>\n
The roughly seven-meter Saildrone Explorer is an unmanned surface vessel equipped with cameras, sensors and communications systems for maritime surveillance and reconnaissance. The US Navy has previously deployed the platform with the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet\u2019s Task Force 59, which integrates unmanned systems and artificial intelligence into regional operations.
\nThe latest incident comes just two days after the IRGC captured a US underwater drone at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. Footage released by Tehran showed what appeared to be an Anduril-built Dive-LD autonomous underwater vehicle commissioned in 2025. The Pentagon acknowledged losing the submersible, but said it was old and broken and carried no sensitive data or classified equipment.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Trump vows to hit \u2018a lot more\u2019 Iranian tankers<\/p>\n
The incidents come amid an escalating maritime standoff between Washington and Tehran. The US has destroyed several Iranian oil tankers after accusing the IRGC of firing ballistic missiles at American warships, while Iran has attacked US vessels and commercial tankers it accused of violating restrictions around Hormuz.
\nThe confrontation has severely disrupted traffic through one of the world\u2019s most important energy corridors and pushed Brent crude above $107 a barrel, while farther west, Iran-aligned Houthi forces are tightening their grip on Bab al-Mandeb, another vital chokepoint linking the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The IRGC has released footage of a burning unmanned surface vessel it says belonged to the US military Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has destroyed a US…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37786,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t