US Uses Drone Boats in Combat for First Time, Targets Iranian Naval Base And Submarine

The strike comes after a weekend of attacks stretching across the wider Middle East, further threatening any diplomacy to end the war that began on February 28.

In a first-of-its kind, the US military said it used drone ships to hit an Iranian ship maintenance facility and submarine. The US CENTCOM shared a video of drone boats approaching a dock that had a submarine sitting on top of it followed by aerial footage of the explosion.

“Yesterday, using multiple one-way attack surface drones, CENTCOM forces successfully struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran,” CENTCOM posted on X (formerly Twitter).

“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. Last night’s strikes degraded Iran’s ability to continue attacking commercial shipping,” the command said on social media on Monday.

The Corsair drones also were used to help rescue a pair of Army aviators from the waters off Oman early in June after their Apache helicopter was struck by an Iranian drone.

The strike comes despite the Trump administration’s claim that it has completely destroyed Iran’s navy.

Trump on Monday announced the reinstatement of what he called the “Iranian blockade,” saying that the Strait of Hormuz “is open and will remain open, with or without Iran.” In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the measure would only restrict Iranian ships or customers while allowing other countries continued access to the strategic waterway.

“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving. All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait,” Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social.

Trump declared that the United States would be known as the “Guardian of the Hormuz Strait” and said Washington should be reimbursed for providing security in the region. He proposed a 20% charge on cargo shipped through the route to cover costs associated with maintaining safety and security.

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