Iran-US war latest: US says submarine drone ‘malfunctioned’ after Tehran celebrates capture of unmanned vessel

Iranian rhetoric comes as US sanctions punish its ailing economy

by Maroosha Muzaffar & Bryony Gooch

The US says a submarine drone “malfunctioned” before it fell into Iranian hands, adding that it was an older model and not being used for sensitive operations.

Iran earlier celebrated its capture of an American unmanned underwater vessel near the Strait of Hormuz, with Iranian state media publishing footage of the drone.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed to have “trapped one of the most modern, intelligent and unmanned submarines of the terrorist American army at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz”.

It comes as the US military destroyed five Iranian oil tankers – four in the Gulf of Oman and one near Kharg Island – in retaliation for repeated missile strikes on a Navy warship.

“The US warship successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and continued to patrol regional waters. No American personnel were harmed”, the US military said.

Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have attacked several cities in Saudi Arabia, wounding at least 73 people and knocking operations at energy facilities offline, the Saudi-led coalition said on Tuesday in a further sign of the conflict spreading as diplomacy stalls. The coalition vowed a firm response to the attacks.

Sunni Kurdish cleric killed in northwest Iran, Guards blame 'separatists'

Sunni Kurdish cleric ​Mamosta Mohammad Nezhati was killed in northwestern Iran, the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement reported on ⁠Wednesday by the semi-official Mehr news agency.

The statement accused what it called “Zionist-American Kurdish separatist groups” of carrying out the attack.

The Guards' ⁠West Azerbaijan provincial ​command ⁠said the killing of the local cleric was an attempt to ⁠create divisions between Sunni and Shi'ite ​Muslims ⁠and undermine security in ‌the province.

In a Telegram post, the semi-official Fars news agency described Nezhati as ‌a member of Basij, ‌a paramilitary force linked to the Guards.

It quoted the Guards' statement as saying he had ⁠a long history of cooperation with Basij organisations for professors, seminarians and clerics.

His killing follows that of Molavi Mohammad Anvar Rigi, a Sunni Baluch Friday prayer leader in the southeastern border town of ‌Mirjaveh, who was killed by ​unidentified gunmen in July.

In border ‌provinces with large ⁠ethnic minority populations, such as Sistan-Baluchistan ⁠and the Kurdish-populated western provinces, Iran has long ‌faced militancy ​targeting security forces and ‌figures associated with ​the state.

Bryony Gooch

Several merchant vessels hit by disabling fire in Gulf and Gulf of Oman

Several merchant vessels in the northern Gulf and Gulf ⁠of Oman were hit by disabling fire during military activity in the region overnight, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said ⁠on Wednesday.

The British ​navy-affiliated ⁠UKMTO said it was unable to confirm any casualties or environmental ⁠impact.

Separately, UKMTO reported another incident on ​Wednesday, ⁠24 nautical miles from Port ‌Rashid, in the United Arab Emirates. It said a vessel was sighted listing ‌while at anchor, possibly indicating ‌it had taken on water following an attack by an unknown projectile.

On Tuesday, US Central ⁠Command forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers following attempted missile attacks on a US Navy warship over the previous two days.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday they had attacked two US vessels and ‌eight oil tankers in the ​Gulf in response to the US ‌attack on the ⁠Iranian tankers.

The Guards said the 10 ⁠vessels had attempted to cross an area of ‌the Strait ​of Hormuz that ‌they described as "prohibited and unsafe".

Bryony Gooch

Centcom denies Iranian attacks on warships

The US Central Command dismissed reports Iranian ⁠forces had hit its warships operating ⁠in ​the Middle ⁠East and said ⁠all attempted ​attacks ⁠had failed, ‌in a post on X ‌on Wednesday.

"Iran's Islamic ‌Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ⁠forces have claimed they struck two US Navy destroyers operating in the Middle ‌East. This ​is ‌completely FALSE," CENTCOM ⁠said.

European shares dip as oil nears $100

European shares edged lower on Wednesday ahead of ⁠US inflation data, with Brent crude climbing to the cusp of key $100-per-barrel level as renewed tensions in the Middle East fanned inflation worries and curbed risk appetite.

The ⁠pan-European STOXX 600 ​was ⁠down 0.4 per cent at 646.84 points, as of 0810 GMT. Germany's DAX edged 0.5 per cent lower, London's ⁠FTSE lost 0.2 per cent, while France's CAC 40 slipped ​0.6 per cent.

The ⁠Middle East conflict escalated ‌this week after Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen launched strikes on several Saudi cities, drawing a ‌key US ally further into ‌the war. The latest attacks threaten to deepen disruptions to Middle East oil supplies, already strained by strikes on ⁠regional energy infrastructure and key shipping lanes.

Energy shares gained nearly 1 per cent as Brent crude prices traded close to $100, a level last seen in late July.

The surge in oil prices has reignited inflation concerns, reinforcing expectations that central banks may have ‌to keep monetary policy tighter for longer.

Pentagon reacts after Iran claims to capture drone

A Pentagon spokesperson said an underwater drone had "malfunctioned more than a day ago” after Iran claimed to capture an unscrewed submarine drone.

"It was surveying 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.

Bryony Gooch

Recap: IRGC 'captured' US submarine

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday it had captured a US uncrewed submarine at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, offering a rare glimpse into how underwater drones are being used in military operations.

Iranian state media said the vessel was ⁠a Dive-LD, a large autonomous underwater vehicle ​built ⁠by California defense firm Anduril. The 19-foot (5.8-metre) submersible can carry out missions including mine countermeasures, seabed mapping, intelligence gathering and the inspection of ⁠underwater infrastructure such as cables and pipelines, the company has said.

"We trapped one of ​the ⁠most modern, intelligent and unmanned submarines ‌of the terrorist American army at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. This submersible is equipped with the latest technologies," the Revolutionary Guards ‌Navy said in a statement carried by Iranian state ‌media.

Bryony Gooch

Japan urges Iran to exercise ‘maximum restraint’ in its vessel attacks

Japan’s foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi has urged Iran to exercise “maximum restraint” over its continued attacks on vessels during a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday.

Motegi also expressed “deep concern” over renewed exchanges of attacks between the US and Iran and called on Tehran to show “maximum flexibility” to avoid prolonging the standoff with Washington, Mainichi reported.

He also reportedly stressed the importance of restoring free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible, without vessels incurring additional costs.