The Strait of Hormuz standoff has taken a new turn after Iran's IRGC claimed it captured an American unmanned underwater drone during operations in the strategic waterway. Iranian forces reportedly identified the vehicle as an American-built Dive-LD unmanned submersible, a system designed for extended underwater missions including intelligence gathering, seabed surveys and infrastructure-related operations. The reported capture has drawn attention because the US military is increasingly investing in unmanned naval systems to conduct high-risk surveillance missions without putting sailors directly in harm's way. Dive-LD is designed to operate for up to 10 days at sea and reach depths of around 6,000 metres. However, Washington has sought to play down the incident. The Pentagon reportedly said the underwater drone had malfunctioned more than a day before Iran made its capture claim and stressed that the vehicle was an older system carrying no sensitive or classified equipment. WATCH

IRGC has claimed that a US surveillance aerostat, described as a tethered "spy balloon", was crippled during a missile and drone attack on Erbil Airport in Iraq's Kurdistan Region. According to the IRGC, the strike targeted the aerostat's ground-based control systems, maintenance facilities and fuel storage rather than the balloon itself. Tehran claims the attack may have disabled the surveillance platform, while Kurdish sources reportedly said the aerostat disappeared following the overnight strikes. The claims come after a major security incident in Erbil, where ten explosive drones were reportedly intercepted as blasts rocked the airport area. While the attack itself has been reported, Iranian claims of US fatalities and extensive destruction remain unverified. WATCH