Did Iran capture a US submarine? What we know about the underwater drone

EXPLAINERTehran lauds capturing Dive-LD vessel, while Washington insists that the submersible ‘had malfunctioned a day ago’.An unmanned US submersible that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it captured at the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz, at an undisclosed location in Iran, in this picture obtained on September 8, 2026 [IRGC/West Asia News Agency Handout via Reuters]Published On 9 Sep 2026Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its naval forces have captured an unmanned United States submarine near the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran and Washington continue to exchange tit-for-tat attacks on ships to exert control over the crucial waterway that connects the Gulf and the Arabian Sea.Iranian state media identified the vessel as a Dive-LD – an autonomous underwater vehicle built by California-based defence firm Anduril Industries. The submersible, about six metres (20ft) long, is designed for long-duration missions such as surveillance, seabed mapping, and mine detection.Washington insists that the vessel “had malfunctioned a day ago”.The US military, meanwhile, on Tuesday evening said it destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers in response to Iran’s attack on the US Navy warship with ballistic missiles. Escalating the situation further, Iran said it attacked two US vessels and eight oil tankers.So, what do we know about Dive-LD and what does its capture mean for Iran?Iranian crude oil carriers before being struck, which US Central Command says it hit after attempted Iranian missile attacks on a US Navy warship over the past two days, at an unknown location in this still image taken from video released September 8, 2026 [US Central Command/Handout via Reuters]Did Iran capture the submersible?On Tuesday evening, the IRGC said in a statement that its naval forces have “trapped one of the most modern, intelligent, unmanned submarines of the terrorist US army at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz”.Without divulging specific details, the IRGC added it was a “complex intelligence and operational mastermind operation at dawn today”.“This smart submersible features the latest technology in the submersible field in the world, and was delivered to the US terrorist army fleet in 2025,” the IRGC said in its statement.The US has yet to issue an official statement on the incident, but an unnamed Pentagon spokesperson confirmed to the Reuters news agency the loss of the submersible, which he said was sent to survey regional waters in support of ongoing operations.“The ⁠defective drone was an older model that neither collected sensitive data nor carried any classified sonar or radar equipment,” the spokesperson said.So, what is Dive-LD?Dive-LD is a large, unmanned, autonomous underwater vehicle and a reusable platform designed to carry different sensor and mission packages.Anduril Industries, the submersible’s manufacturer, put its maximum depth at 6,000 metres (19,700ft) and endurance at up to 10 days. It reportedly costs nearly $2.5m, according to US media reports. To put things in perspective, the OceanGate Titan submersible imploded near the Titanic’s wreck in June 2023 at a depth of some 3,346 metres (11,000ft) – nearly half of Dive-LD’s advertised depth.Anduril has confirmed the loss of one of its vessels but downplayed the significance of the incident.“Dive-LD is an attritable autonomous system, meaning it is designed from the outset to operate ⁠in dangerous environments where loss of the vehicle is an expected possibility,” a company spokesperson said on Wednesday.An unmanned US submersible that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it captured at the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz, at an undisclosed location in Iran, in this picture obtained on September 8, 2026 [IRGC/West Asia News Agency Handout via Reuters]On its website, Anduril says that Dive-LD possesses “open software, mechanical, and electrical interfaces [allowing] for seamless integration and rapid configuration of multiple payloads and sensors at a time”.The company says it can deliver “relevant, impactful, and affordable capability in weeks, not months or years, for missions to include: mine warfare; intelligence preparation of the operational environment; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; and precision placement”.Has the Iran war drained US military power?Since the US attacked Iran in late February, joined by Israel, Tehran has faced devastating attacks over the months that began with the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His son Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded him.However, Tehran’s retaliatory attacks on US bases and assets in the region have dealt a strong blow to Washington, coupled with hits on critical energy infrastructure, upending global energy prices.At least 18 US soldiers have been killed during the conflict. Nearly 8,000 people have been killed in Iran and Lebanon in Israeli and US attacks.The Iranian targets included bases like Al Udeid in Qatar, Ali Al Salem in Kuwait, and Al Dhafra in the UAE, which host US military forces. Bahrain, which hosts the US Fifth Fleet headquarters, has also been hammered by Iranian attacks. Officials in Washington believe that repairs here alone could run into billions.The US has also reportedly been running short on munitions stockpiles. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly rejected the media reports. His administration has subjected senior US defence staff to polygraph tests for leaking information about the munitions to the media.For context, the US fired more Patriot missiles in the first four days of the Iran war than it supplied to Ukraine over the past four years. Each of those missiles in the defence system costs $4m – and they were shooting down Iran’s Shahed drones worth not more than $50,000 each.In July, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Iran war is estimated to have cost some $37bn. He asked for twice that amount to continue the war, which Trump initially said would last four to five weeks.In June, Trump had said that Iran downed a US Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran has claimed to have shot down several US-operated drones near the waterway.Iranian infrastructure near the Strait of Hormuz has become the central war theatre over the last few weeks. The US is targeting surveillance and naval assets to deter Tehran from attacking ships trying to evade its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil and gas passed before the war began.Meanwhile, a US naval blockade on Iranian ports and a slew of economic sanctions continue to hurt Tehran’s economy.