Iran's military said on Thursday that it holds a large stock of suicide drone boats now being deployed to restrict passage through the Strait of Hormuz. State television released footage said to have been filmed inside an underground complex the authorities describe as a "missile city". The images show long tunnels lined with naval drones, anti-ship missiles and sea mines. Additional footage depict some of the weapons being launched. It remains unclear when the recordings were made and whether the site has since been struck by American or Israeli forces. One still image from the material shows a tunnel containing a naval drone mounted on a trailer beneath a portrait of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The naval drones, also known as unmanned surface vehicles or USVs, have already struck two oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. The vessels were attempting to pass through the narrow chokepoint at Hormuz. These small craft travel either on or just below the water's surface. They carry explosives and are intended to detonate on impact.