WASHINGTON, United States — The US military said Tuesday that one of its underwater drones "malfunctioned" after Iransaid its forces captured an American unmanned submarine in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

 

"An underwater drone operated by US forces malfunctioned more than a day ago. It was surveying regional waters in support of ongoing operations," US Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said, without mentioning whether the device was seized by Iran.

 

"The defective drone was an older model that neither collected sensitive data nor carried any classified sonar or radar equipment," Hawkins added.

 

Iran's Revolutionary Guards had earlier said they seized a US drone at the "entrance to the Strait of Hormuz in a complex intelligence and operational action," describing it as "one of the most modern, unmanned, and smart submarines" operated by US forces.

 

Iran has maintained a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas exports, since the outbreak of the war in late February, while the US has imposed its own blockade of Iranian ports.

 

Iranian local media reported on Tuesday that several blasts were heard on Iran's Kharg Island, which is located in the Gulf and is where the majority of the country's oil is exported from.

 

"The sound of several explosions was heard in parts of Kharg Island a few minutes ago," Mehr news agency said, without elaborating.

 

Iranian media also reported two explosions in the southern port of Jask.

 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that "the Iranian hand" was behind attacks launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels against Saudi Arabia.

 

"The Houthis in many ways are agents and proxies of the Iranians. I think behind some of this is clearly the Iranian hand," Rubio said in response to a question about the wave of attacks, which wounded dozens.

 

The Houthis have launched a new offensive to seize land near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which controls entrance to the Red Sea, as the Yemeni civil war reignited after a four-year ceasefire.

 

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday there had been "significant progress" in talks with Oman over the administration of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which they have been discussing for weeks.

 

The Iranian foreign ministry said Araghchi "explained the latest status of Iran-Oman talks on the Strait of Hormuz, reporting significant progress" in a call with his Japanese counterpart.