Iran has laid about a dozen mines in Strait of Hormuz, sources say
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Tankers in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, on March 11.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Iran has deployed mines in the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting oil and LNG exports through this key strategic chokepoint.
- The US military has targeted Iranian mine-laying vessels, destroying 16, but hasn't provided commercial ship escorts.
- President Trump demands Iran remove the mines or face military consequences, as Strait closure gives Tehran leverage.
AI generated
WASHINGTON - Iran has deployed about a dozen mines in the Strait of Hormuz, two sources familiar with the matter said, in a move likely to complicate the reopening of the narrow waterway, which is an important route for shipping oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Exports of oil and LNG through the strategic chokepoint along Iran’s coast have effectively been halted by the war launched on Feb 28 by the United States and Israel, helping to drive a surge in world energy prices.
Iran’s military command on March 11 said the world should be prepared for oil to hit US$200 a barrel.
One source said the mines were deployed “in the last few days” and that most of their locations wereknown.
But the source declined to say how the US planned to deal with them.
CNN first reported the mining of the strait on March 10.
Iran has long threatened to retaliate against any military attack by mining the waterway.
About a fifth of global oil and LNG normally passes through the strait.
Tehran’s ability to stop shipping through the channel gives it enormous leverage over the US and its allies.
The US military says it has targeted Iranian mine-laying vessels, eliminating 16 of them on March 10.
But the US Navy has so far declined to provide protective escorts for commercial ships travelling through the strait.
US President Donald Trump on March 10 demanded that Iran immediately remove any mines deployed in the strait and said it would face unspecified military consequences if it failed to do so. REUTERS
