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🇻🇪 Venezuela /Conflict & Security

US uses sea drones for first time to strike Iran submarine base

From El Nacional · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • The U.S. military used sea drones for the first time in combat to strike an Iranian submarine and ship maintenance facility.
  • The attack, conducted by U.S. Central Command, aimed to degrade Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf.
  • The incident escalates tensions amid ongoing hostilities, with the U.S. also reinstating a naval blockade against Iran.

The United States military has employed sea drones in combat for the first time, striking a key Iranian facility used for maintaining submarines and ships. U.S. Central Command (Centcom) announced the successful operation on Sunday, utilizing multiple "Corsair" unmanned surface vessels that impacted the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base.

Centcom stated the offensive degraded Iran's capacity to continue threatening commercial shipping in the strategically vital Persian Gulf. This marks a significant military development amid a grave escalation of conflict in the region. The command also released video footage of the operation.

Adding to the rising tensions, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a naval blockade against Iran. Washington will now demand a 20% compensation for ensuring the protection of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. These actions follow Trump's decision last week to end a ceasefire agreement, citing persistent Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the strait, a critical route for global oil transport.

The Centcom report also detailed that U.S. forces struck approximately 140 Iranian military targets over the weekend using precision-guided munitions. In response, Tehran has reportedly launched bombings against Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, all allied nations hosting U.S. military bases.

Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations.

— U.S. Central CommandOfficial statement detailing the use of sea drones in combat.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Nacional in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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