TEHRAN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy on Tuesday seized a straying U.S. unmanned vessel in the Gulf to secure a shipping line and prevent accidents, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported on Wednesday.
The vessel, whose navigation communications had been disconnected from its controlling base, was later released after a U.S. destroyer approached the scene and was briefed on the security regulations and safe navigation processes, according to the report.
Reportedly, unmanned U.S. vessels have been recently deployed to the international shipping lanes in Iran's southern waters from Bahrain "without compliance with the protocols on unmanned vessels."
U.S. media reported on Tuesday that the IRGC had tried "to capture a U.S. unmanned vessel, but a U.S. Navy patrol ship and helicopter stopped them."
The IRGC, however, denied the reports, saying that "the U.S. Navy has released a Hollywood-style account of the story, distorted the reality, and tried to create an epic after the incident in an attempt to cover up part of its failures." ■
