US EditionIs Iran waging war with mines in the Strait of Hormuz?
Iran has deployed mines in the Strait of Hormuz to threaten shipping while U.S. mine-clearing ships operate in Asia, and the UK plans to send minesweeping drones, officials said.
- U.S. officials say Iran has started laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, effectively halting routine maritime traffic at this strategic chokepoint.
- IRGCN doctrine emphasizes mine warfare, and the Defense Intelligence Agency estimates Iran holds more than 5,000 naval mines, with deployments recalling Iran Ajr's 1987 mine-laying near Bahrain and Bridgeton's mine strike.
- Two U.S. Littoral Combat Ships configured for mine countermeasures, USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara, are operating in Asia with the Navy's mine-countermeasures module.
- The U.K. has agreed to dispatch minesweeping drones to the Strait of Hormuz as ministers fear sending ships could escalate the crisis and many NATO allies decline involvement.
- Last year, the Navy decommissioned half of its Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships and began shifting to Littoral Combat Ships, creating a clearance gap as mines appear in the Strait of Hormuz while sweepers operate in Asia.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Why Iran’s ‘drifting’ mines in the Strait of Hormuz will be so difficult to clear
Within days of war being declared, Iran had laid mines in the 40km-wide sea passage which typically serves as a key waterway for around a quarter of the world’s liquefied natural gas and seaborne oil trade.
Despite the United States strike force, which sent two aircraft carriers to the region, Iran has the means of nuisance with its drones and the threat of mines, which are sufficient for the moment to prohibit navigation in the strategic sea crossing.
It has been confirmed that the United States has moved two of the three mine-clearing warships it operates in the Gulf region to Malaysia. This move is drawing attention to the background, as it comes amidst ongoing threats of Iran laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. It also comes at a time when President Trump has called on allies, including South Korea, to join in escorting merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
El Periódico
lacronicabadajoz.comIran maintains one of the largest stockpiles of naval mines in the world, which it stores to close the Strait of Ormuz, and the United States knew it with information from its intelligence services before the beginning of the current war in the Persian Gulf. It is asserted by a report to American parliamentarians by the CRS, or U.S. Congressional Research Service. The dossier was written in 2025, on the occasion of Israel's war against Iran, and…
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