IRGC Navy Seizes US Remus 600 Underwater Drone in Strait of Hormuz

IRGC Navy claims capture of a US Remus 600 unmanned underwater vehicle in the Strait of Hormuz. The drone was described as conducting espionage in the strategic waterway.

Whether the US denies the seizure or only disputes details .

2 of 3 outlets skipped it: CNBC reports Iran’s conditions to reopen the strait .

Anadolu Ajansı was read line by line by the Watchdog : 2.1 . See the score →

Same story, two versions

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The Whistler Newspaper

“ The US military confirmed that one of its underwater drones had been lost but disputed Tehran’s description of the incident. ”

“ Iran's Revolutionary Guards claim that the vehicle is a REMUS 600 and has been handed over to Iranian military experts ‘to retrieve its data’, but the US military denies the claim. ”

Euronews says the US denies the claim, while The Whistler says the US disputed Tehran’s description after confirming a loss.

Remus 600 Seizure Claim

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its naval forces seized a US underwater drone in the Strait of Hormuz, identifying the captured system as a Remus 600 and saying it was currently "in the hands of its specialists to retrieve information." The IRGC statement carried by state-run broadcaster IRIB declared, "the Strait of Hormuz is closed," and said Iran was taking "decisive and unceasing action" against dangerous maneuvers and unauthorized transit within the strait. Iran’s claim came as diplomatic activity continued to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran said it closed in response to US-Israeli attacks in February and a maritime blockade on Iran.

The IRGC Navy also described the operation as a "coordinated, complex operation" involving intelligence oversight and electronic warfare, and it said the Remus 600 was operating in the Strait of Hormuz for espionage purposes. The IRGC Navy said it had handed the drone over to specialists for data recovery, framing the seizure as part of its ongoing confrontation in the strategic waterway.

Talks, Denials, and Quotes

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would only reopen the Strait of Hormuz if its conditions were met, telling mediators, "Our conditions are clear; any progress toward the opening of the Strait of Hormuz is contingent upon the fulfillment of these conditions, and we will not back down from them." The IRGC Navy claimed a second capture in the Strait of Hormuz, but Euronews reported that the US military denied the Iranian claim shortly after, while CENTCOM spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins said the US has “positive control of all of our operational drone assets." E Euronews also said Iran’s top army commander, Major General Amir Hatami, told Iranian media that "the war is not over" and that it was now in "a critical and decisive stage". E

CNBC reported that Trump told reporters Saturday that he has rejected Iran’s latest conditional proposal for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, saying, "They made a proposal but I rejected it." CNBC further said Araghchi stated intermediaries had yet to relay a formal response from Trump to Tehran, and Araghchi said, "Only a negotiated solution can break this deadlock," as the standoff over reopening continued.

Iran’s IRGC Navy reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and warned it would confront what it described as dangerous movements and unauthorized passage through the waterway. The IRGC Navy said the Remus 600 was seized during a coordinated and complex operation and was now under Iranian specialists’ control to retrieve and analyze information stored on the system. Euronews said the IRGC Navy claimed the vehicle was a REMUS 600 and had been handed over to Iranian military experts "to retrieve its data," while it also said the US military denied the claim. E

“ West Texas Intermediate dropped 2.3% to close at $92.41 per barrel. ”

CNBC framed the broader stakes around energy shipments, saying the war has severely restricted energy shipments out of the Middle East, sending oil prices soaring, while crude prices posted a sharp drop for the week with West Texas Intermediate dropping 2.3% to close at $92.41 per barrel. The same CNBC report said Brent declined 2.1% to settle at $104.32, and it said WTI was up nearly 61% year to date while Brent crude was more than 71% higher over the same period, tying the drone dispute to market pressure around the chokepoint.