Iran’s IRGC claims it captured second US unmanned submersible in Strait of Hormuz

Tehran: The navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Sunday that its forces have captured another “advanced smart” unmanned submarine belonging to the US Army in the Strait of Hormuz.

Making the announcement in a statement on the IRGC’s official news outlet, Sepah News, the navy said the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), which was carrying out “espionage” activities in the Strait of Hormuz, was captured in a “coordinated and complex operation with intelligence dominance and electronic warfare.”

It identified the AUV as the “REMUS 600,” adding that it has been handed over to its specialists for data recovery.

The navy emphasised that the Strait of Hormuz is closed, “and we are taking decisive and incessant actions against dangerous movements and passage through unauthorised routes in the waterway”, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Earlier this month, the IRGC announced having captured one of the US Army’s “most modern, smart” unmanned submarines at the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz, identifying it as a “Dive-LD,” according to Sepah News.

Iran tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz on February 28, barring safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes on Iranian territory.

Meanwhile, Chief Commander of Iran’s Army Amir Hatami said on Sunday the war imposed by the United States and Israel against the country has not ended yet, and the “enemy” must still be ready to receive “severe blows” from the Iranian armed forces.

“The war is not over … Although the aggressive enemy has suffered heavy blows, it must remain prepared to receive further crushing blows from Iran’s armed forces,” Hatami said at a national festival in Tehran, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

He urged regional countries to recognise that cooperation with the United States fails to guarantee their security, emphasising that regional security must be safeguarded from within by the nations of the region.

IANS