According to the Financial Times, small teams of U.S. Navy divers and underwater robots used sonar to locate Iranian mines in the Strait of Hormuz over four months, then destroyed them with explosives. President Trump confirmed the mines were removed but said shipping remains cautious because Iran could re-lay mines, and missile and drone attacks continue.
The Financial Times reported Monday that the U.S. Navy conducted a covert four-month operation to clear Iranian naval mines from the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway through which roughly one-fifth of global oil trade passes. Small teams of divers and underwater robots used sonar to detect the mines, which were then detonated with explosives, according to the report.
President Donald Trump said the mines had been removed but cautioned that shipping companies remain on alert because Iran could re-lay mines at any time, and Iranian missile and drone attacks against vessels continue.
The revelation adds to a series of U.S. actions in the strait in recent months. As The Zioneer has reported, the U.S. military intercepted Iranian attack drones targeting commercial ships in June, and President Trump earlier disclosed a covert operation to seize millions of barrels of Iranian oil. In August, Trump declared a zero-tolerance policy after the Navy completed a previous mine-clearance operation. The pattern of operations suggests a sustained campaign to neutralize Iran's ability to disrupt the chokepoint.
4 developments
- StrongAnalysis: U.S. systematically dismantling Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz
- StrongUS secret Hormuz shipping route moves 10M barrels daily, as Iran launches nightly drone attacks — report
- StrongUS Official: US to Lift Naval Blockade on Iran After Hormuz Free Passage Deal
- StrongBloomberg: Iran softens line on European mine clearance in Strait of Hormuz
Source and signal
- Open-source intake