Washington — Iran is reportedly preparing to deploy naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. officials informed CBS News today. The American intelligence sources stated that Tehran is using smaller crafts capable of carrying two or three mines each, which they have laid into the strait.
Estimates indicate Iran’s mine stock ranges from approximately 2,000 to 6,000 naval mines, produced by countries including Iran, China, and Russia. These officials spoke to CBS News under condition of anonymity due to their unauthorized status in public discourse.
President Trump highlighted these developments on Truth Social Tuesday afternoon. “If any mine has been deployed in the Hormuz Strait,” he said, “and we have no reports of such a move from them, we want those mines removed immediately.” He further warned that should Iran place mines without removing them promptly, “the military consequences to Iran will be unprecedented.”
Within thirteen minutes, Mr. Trump updated his followers: “We have destroyed ten inactive mine-laying boats and/or ships, with more to follow.”
Simultaneously, CNN reported the same day that Iran had commenced laying mines in the strait.
The previous Monday, President Trump warned, “If Iran disrupts any flow of commercial ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, we will hit them twenty times harder than before.”
At the Pentagon on Tuesday morning, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, emphasized U.S. Central Command’s ongoing hunt and strikes against “mine-laying vessels” and “storage facilities.”
The critical role of the Strait of Hormuz cannot be overstated; it is a key energy chokepoint in the world, with crude oil tankers from nations like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the UAE passing through this narrow waterway to reach global markets. The strait accounts for 20% of the global oil supply.
During past tensions—such as the “Tanker War” part of the Iran-Iraq conflict in the 1980s—Tehran frequently laid naval mines along key shipping routes used by oil tankers. Last year, Reuters revealed that Iranian military forces had loaded naval mines onto vessels within the Persian Gulf, escalating tensions with Washington following Israel’s air strikes against Iran amid a brief war.
As the conflict persists, major maritime insurers have scaled back their coverage. The London P&I Club and American Club warned of suspending ship insurance in areas controlled by Iran due to heightened risks of being caught in the conflict zone, CBS News reported last week.
In this volatile scenario, both U.S. and Iranian forces are intensifying operations to neutralize mine-laying capabilities and secure maritime lanes.