An Iranian ship seized an American military unmanned research vessel in the Gulf but released it after a US Navy patrol boat and helicopter were deployed to the location, the Pentagon said, AFP reports. The US Central Command’s 5th Fleet said a support ship from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, the Shahid Baziar, was spotted towing the 23-foot Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessel. The US naval drone, equipped with an array of sensors, radars and cameras, was in international waters collecting navigation and other unspecified data, the 5th Fleet said in a statement.
When the Iranian vessel was seen towing the unmanned boat, US forces sent the USS Thunderbolt coastal patrol ship, which was operating nearby, to the scene. In addition, an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter based in Bahrain flew to the location. Those actions, AFP reports. “resulted in the IRGCN vessel disconnecting the towing line to the USV and departing the area approximately four hours later” without further incident, the 5th Fleet said.
