- IRGC said it seized a modern US unmanned submarine drone at the Strait of Hormuz, claiming reconnaissance and mine detection capabilities.
- Guards said they intercepted and destroyed an advanced MQ1 drone over the strait using a new integrated air defense system.
- Washington moved to sanction all remaining Iranian airlines, targeting 36 aviation entities accused of moving weapons, personnel and illicit cargo.
- Iran reported significant progress in talks with Oman on administration of the Strait of Hormuz, amid heightened regional tensions.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they seized an unmanned US submarine on Tuesday, as Tehran maintains its stranglehold on the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway six months into the Middle East war.
Here are the latest developments in the conflict:
– Guards seize submarine drone –
The Guards said in a statement carried by state TV that they captured “one of the most modern, unmanned, and smart submarines of the US terrorist army at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz” in a complex operation.
Iranian state media reported that the unmanned underwater vehicle’s main capabilities included “subsurface reconnaissance and surveillance, seabed mapping, mine detection and inspection of submarine cables and pipelines”.
The Guards said images of the unmanned underwater vehicle would be released “in the coming hours”.
– Iran thwarts drone attack –
The Guards said in another statement carried by state TV that they thwarted a drone attack on Tuesday.
“An advanced MQ1 drone was intercepted and destroyed by the IRGC’s new advanced defence system, under the control of the country’s integrated air defence network, over the Strait of Hormuz,” it said, without saying who was behind the attack.
The model is used by only a few countries, including the United States.
– US sanctions Iran airlines –
Washington imposed sanctions on “all remaining Iranian airlines” that have yet to face such penalties, as Washington pushes to step up economic pressure on Tehran.
The US Treasury Department said its latest action takes aim at “36 targets for supporting Iran’s aviation sector, which the regime uses to move weapons, personnel, and illicit cargo”.
– ‘Progress’ in Iran-Oman talks –
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday there had been “significant progress” in talks with Oman over the administration of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which they have been discussing for weeks.
The Iranian foreign ministry said Araghchi “explained the latest status of Iran-Oman talks on the Strait of Hormuz, reporting significant progress” in a call with his Japanese counterpart.
– Lebanon strikes –
Israel conducted a wave of airstrikes in south Lebanon on Monday, killing 13 people including women and children, the Lebanese health ministry said, in an intensification of violence after a weeks-long lull.
But no strikes were reported on Tuesday as of early evening.
– S Korea sends Hormuz team –
South Korea has sent a fact-finding team to assess the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, its defence ministry said Tuesday, while stressing no troops would be deployed.
– Yemen attacks –
Yemen’s Houthis said Saudi Arabia hit back with a series of strikes on Tuesday after the Iran-backed rebels targeted oil facilities and other sites, wounding dozens in their heaviest attack in years.
More than 500 people, most of them combatants, have been killed since Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched an offensive last week to advance towards the Red Sea, according to an AFP tally based on sources on both sides.
The renewed fighting has forced nearly 20,000 people to flee their homes, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday.
