US secretly cleared mines from Strait of Hormuz using robots within four months - FT
The work was mainly carried out at night. In February, after the war of the US and Israel against Iran began, ships became afraid of passing through the strait. It is reported that the American military searched for and destroyed these very mines.
US secretly cleared mines from the Strait of Hormuz using robots for four months — FT
The US military conducted a secret operation to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz for four months. Divers from a special unit of the US Navy, robotic boats, and specialized underwater vehicles were involved in this work, FT wrote.
The operation was mainly carried out at night. After the war between the US and Israel against Iran began in February, ships became afraid of passing through the strait. It is said that the American military found and destroyed precisely these mines.
Iran claimed that it had placed mines in international waters and near the coast of Oman. In June, the International Maritime Organization reported that there were about 80 mines on major shipping routes.
Last week, US President Donald Trump announced that the American military had destroyed or removed "all mines" in the international waters of the strait. The Pentagon confirmed this information.
The FT found that most of the work was done by small groups of divers. Robotic boats and underwater vehicles equipped with sonars scanned the seabed. Once they found a mine, a diver went down, placed a charge, and returned, after which the mine was detonated. Underwater robots equipped with explosives may also have been used to destroy the mines.
Shipowners and experts believe that the US has likely indeed cleared the southern part of the strait near the coast of Oman of mines. The Americans are now guiding ships along this very route. However, experts doubt that no other mines remain in the entire Strait of Hormuz, the FT notes.
Tehran also rejects Washington's statements. The country's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said that "no one but Iran knows the location of these mines." Iranian media claimed that at least two tankers had hit mines in the past week, and that the military had laid new mines off the coast of Oman.
At the same time, maritime services have not yet confirmed that any ship has hit a mine since the conflict began. Satellite images also do not confirm Tehran's claims. The only mine whose existence was confirmed was detected in the strait by a Pakistani hydrographer in May.
Even the reports of potential mines themselves are having a significant impact on shipping. The cost of insurance to pass through the Strait of Hormuz has increased up to tenfold compared to pre-war levels. For a large oil tanker, this can cost about $10 million.