US uses kamikaze drones to blow up Iranian naval bases for the first time

Rory McKeown | Assistant editor (news) Published July 15, 2026 1:54pm Updated July 15, 2026 2:00pm To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The United States has targeted Iranian naval facilities using kamikaze drones. The series of attacks over the weekend marked the first time the US military used uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) as strike weapons in combat. According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), three Saronic Corsair drone boats struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility at Bandar Abbas Naval Base on 12 July as part of wider operations against what it described as ‘dozens’ of Iranian targets. Footage captures the kamikaze drone speeding through the sea before it struck Iranian facilities (Picture:: US Cen