Illustrative image. (Hossein Zohrevand/Fars News)
Iran has begun laying mines in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, CNN reported on March 10, citing two people familiar with United States intelligence reporting on the issue.
The mining is not extensive yet, with a few dozen having been laid in recent days, the sources said. But Iran still retains upward of 80% to 90% of its small boats and mine layers, one of the sources said, noting that its forces could feasibly lay hundreds of mines in the waterway.
The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most critical maritime chokepoint, with approximately 20.9 million barrels of oil per day — roughly one-fifth of global consumption passing through. The waterway serves as the primary gateway for energy exports from major producers like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has the capability to deploy a “gauntlet” of dispersed mine-laying craft, unmanned explosive-laden boats and shore-based anti-ship missile batteries, CNN said. In addition to these capabilities, the Islamic Republic is known to have developed several types of unmanned underwater vehicles.
Previously, the IRGC previously warned any ship passing through the strait would be attacked, and the waterway has effectively been closed since the start of the American-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic.
The state of the strait has been described to CNN as a “death valley” given the risks involved in transiting. Multiple tankers have already been hit nearby.
Earlier in the day, U.S. President Donald Trump doubled down on his threat to strike Iran with unprecedented force if it stops the flow of oil through the waterway.
“If Iran does anything that stops the flow of oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a nation, again — death, fire and fury will reign upon them,” he said.
“But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen!” Trump added, claiming the threat is “a gift from the United States of America to China and all of those nations that heavily use the Hormuz Strait.”
Responding, Iranian security chief Ali Larijani said in a post on X that the Strait of Hormuz will either be a strait of peace and prosperity for all or a strait of defeat and suffering for “warmongers.”
“Iran is not afraid of your empty threats. Even those greater than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Take care of yourself not to be eliminated!” Larijani said in another post.
CNN’s report angered Trump, who quickly issued another threat to Iran, demanding the removal of any mines laid down in the waterway.
“Trump on Truth Social: If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY! If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before. If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!” he wrote on Truth Social.
Amid this escalation, the chief executive of Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Aramco warned in a media call that the closer of the strait could have “catastrophic” consequences for the world’s oil markets.
“While we have faced disruptions in the past, this one by far is the biggest crisis the region’s oil and gas industry has faced,” Amin Nasser said, according to Reuters.
A senior Gulf energy industry official also told the news agency that stopping the Iran war is the only option after being asked if there were ways of getting oil and gas moving again through the Strait of Hormuz.
Just a day earlier, Trump hinted that the war could end soon, driving down oil prices by a little. Now, however, the war appears to be about to enter a new stage of escalation.
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it is being reported that the new iranian leader has been seriously wounded! if that is true slava trump!
earn those shekels degenerate. go back to the bbc.
some people keep saying that iran won’t mine the strait of hormuz because it would hurt china & other allies. all iran has to do is mine the western side of the strait so that tankers & ships can only transit much closer to iranian coast to make sure only friendly countries export & import oil. any ships sailing so close to iranian coast can come under attack by cheap, short range antiship missiles but also hit by coastal artillery.and even torpedos.
i suppose iran can let any ship go through the strait as long as they pay some kind of toll, like we do here in the new jersey turnpike. it would be like a temporary sanctions relief until sanctions are permanently lifted in any future new jcpoa deal.
trump doesn’t know that the real punishment hasn’t even started yet and he might soon need to relocate all the citizens of israel.
iran should be able to mine it when they are threatened to be nuked, even if its ally china is suffering.
“amid this escalation, the chief executive of saudi arabia’s state oil giant aramco warned in a media”
what does the acronym “aramco” mean?
well there you have it. sellout, cultist arab clowns, financed by foreigners.
so if the almighty us armed forces can’t even stop drone, ballistic missile attacks on us bases, patriots thaads, radars, oil infrastructure, desalination plants & other strategic assets in the arabian peninsula, iraq, jordan, israel, turkey azerbaijan cyprus etc. how are they going to be able to stop iranian banana boats from iran mainland + greater tunb, lesser tunb, abu musa etc. sowing sea mines in the 21mile wide strait of hormuz