The U.S. Navy said its forces overnight prevented a support ship from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from capturing a U.S. unmanned surface vessel operating in the Arabian Gulf.
The U.S. military released video Tuesday showing the IRGC support ship Shahid Baziar "unlawfully towing a Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessel in international waters" "in an attempt to detain it."
U.S. Navy patrol coastal ship USS Thunderbolt immediately responded, along with a MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter based in Bahrain. Shahid Baziar disconnected its towing line to the drone and departed the area approximately four hours later, the Navy said.
"The professionalism and competence of the crew of the USS Thunderbolt prevented Iran from this illegal action. This incident once again demonstrates Iran's continued destabilizing, illegal, and unprofessional activity in the Middle East," U.S. Central Command chief General Michael "Erik" Kurilla said in a statement released Tuesday.
The Saildrone Explorer USV is equipped with sensors, radars and cameras for navigation and data collection. The Navy said its technology does not store sensitive or classified information and is available commercially.
IRGC boats have had "unprofessional" encounters with U.S. military ships in the past, causing the military to fire warnings shots and issue radio warnings.
