Iran Says It Captured a Second US Underwater Drone in Hormuz as Trump Rejects Reopening Plan

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Sunday that its navy had captured a second American-made unmanned underwater vehicle in the Strait of Hormuz, and the United States military denied the claim within hours. The IRGC identified the vehicle as a Remus 600 and said it was intercepted during a "coordinated intelligence and electronic warfare operation" and handed to Iranian specialists to extract its data. Euronews reported both the Iranian announcement and the American denial, quoting Captain Tim Hawkins of US Central Command, who said the United States has "positive control of all of our operational drone assets."

An IRGC spokesperson, Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi, said the waterway "is not only open, but a hunting ground for the IRGC Navy targeting American submarines," according to reporting on his remarks. The announcement follows an earlier Iranian claim, made days before, to have taken a Dive-LD autonomous underwater vehicle built by the American defence company Anduril near the entrance to the strait. In that case the US position was different. DefenseScoop reported that the vehicle was an older Dive-LD model that was defective and malfunctioning before the Iranian announcement, carried no classified sonar or radar equipment, and collected no sensitive data. Anduril said the Dive-LD is designed for environments where losing the vehicle is an expected outcome. In a separate statement, the IRGC said its forces had struck two American vessels, eight oil tankers and ten ships it described as violating a restricted zone in the strait, and that the waterway remains under the control of its navy, as reported by Iran's state news agency IRNA.

The escalation at sea comes after President Donald Trump rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the strait, telling reporters outside the White House on Saturday that Tehran wants an agreement because "they're losing so badly," while adding that he likes making deals. The Hindu reported his remarks after the Iranian plan was described to American officials during the United Nations General Assembly. The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing US officials, that Trump has told aides he expects to resume bombing Iran after the midterm elections in November, even as he continues to say publicly that Tehran will eventually accept a deal.

The plan itself came from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who set it out on September 24 at a private gathering on the sidelines of the General Assembly. Under the offer, Iran would reopen the strait and resume nuclear talks seven days after an agreement, provided Washington lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waives sanctions on Iranian oil sales and observes a ceasefire extending to Lebanon. Araghchi argued that a quick settlement would help Trump before November's midterm elections. Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, framed the decision as Washington's to make, saying his government does not wish to continue the war and that it is for the United States to decide whether it ends.

Tehran is still drawing a distinction between Trump's public remarks and Washington's formal position. Araghchi said on Sunday that Iran has not yet received an official answer through the mediators handling the talks, stating, "We saw the first reaction from the US president, but nothing has been conveyed to us from the mediators yet. We are waiting for the definitive opinions to be conveyed to us by the mediators and we will make a decision based on that." The proposal therefore remains formally open. Al Jazeera's review of the General Assembly described mixed outcomes and no agreed path to end the US-Iran war. Iran's Persian Gulf waterway management authority has separately warned shipowners that some charterers are pushing vessels onto routes Tehran does not recognise as valid, putting crews and vessels at direct risk in the dispute over who controls transit.

Brent crude traded around $106 a barrel on Friday as traders waited on the talks. That price level feeds directly into monetary policy decisions. The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark rate by a quarter point on September 16 to a target range of 3.75 to 4 percent, its first increase since 2023, citing inflation driven in part by oil. Goldman Sachs analysts have estimated that another month of closure keeps Brent above $100 through 2026.