CENTCOM: Two Iranian boats destroyed after attempting to hijack a drone boat

The U.S. military announced on Tuesday that it fired upon and destroyed two small Iranian boats earlier this week as they attempted to steal an unmanned surface vessel in waters off the coast of Iran.

U.S. Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said, “The two small Iranian boats recently attempted to seize an unmanned American surface ship, but their mission failed after Central Command responded with force.”

Iranian state media reported on Monday, citing a local official, that two fishing boats were attacked in Hormozgan Province on Iran’s southern coast, and that several fishermen were missing.

Hawkins stated today that the unmanned vessel in question is a “Sea Drone” model, approximately 8 meters long, and capable of autonomous operation.

Hawkins affirmed that the locations of all unmanned surface vehicles under Central Command are fully known. The U.S. military has long emphasized that the technology used in Sea Drones is commercially available and not of a sensitive nature.