Arabian Post Staff -Dubai
Allied assessments indicate that US forces have removed or destroyed some Iranian mines in international waters but have probably not eliminated the entire threat. Estimates circulating among governments put the number laid by Iran at between 80 and 150, although the precise total and their locations remain uncertain.
Trump said on August 25 that the US Navy had removed or detonated all mines from international waters in the strait. He described Hormuz as a functioning shipping route and warned that any vessel attempting to place new mines would be destroyed.
US Central Command has maintained that internationally recognised transit routes through Hormuz are free of Iranian sea mines. American officials have also questioned allied estimates of the number still present, arguing that some figures may be outdated after months of clearance operations.
The disagreement centres partly on what constitutes a cleared strait. US forces have concentrated on the Traffic Separation Scheme, the internationally recognised shipping channel running between Iran and Oman. Underwater systems spent months scanning the area, identifying more than 100 objects suspected of being mines.
Allied governments remain concerned that mines outside those cleared corridors could still endanger commercial shipping. Some devices may also have shifted from their original locations because of currents, making previously mapped positions unreliable and complicating clearance work.
Sea mines can be difficult to detect even under favourable conditions. Iran is believed to possess sophisticated types designed to interfere with sonar detection. Some can lie on the seabed and respond to acoustic or magnetic signatures, while others can be moored or displaced by water movement.
The uncertainty is important for shipowners and insurers weighing whether normal operations through Hormuz can resume. Traffic has increased from the levels seen during the height of the conflict, but volumes remain well below the period before fighting disrupted the waterway.
Oil shipments through Hormuz were running at about five million barrels a day earlier this week, compared with more than 20 million barrels a day before the war. Under normal conditions, the strait handles roughly one-fifth of global petroleum consumption, giving even limited disruption an outsized impact on crude prices, fuel costs and freight markets.
Commercial vessels have largely been directed towards routes closer to Oman while military forces work to reduce threats elsewhere. More than 500 ships are believed to have used a southern passage during the past month, although attacks involving drones and missiles have reinforced concerns that mine clearance alone cannot guarantee safe navigation.
Iran has challenged Washington’s account. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran alone knows the exact location of mines in the strait and questioned why commercial traffic had not returned to normal if the waterway had been completely cleared. He also warned that US vessels conducting further mine-clearance operations could be targeted.
Tehran and Muscat have meanwhile moved towards a temporary maritime arrangement intended to provide safer passage. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi have discussed a phased framework that includes a temporary shipping corridor and a joint mine-clearance project.
The proposed route would be about seven miles wide and would involve ships entering the Gulf through Iranian territorial waters, with outbound traffic using a route partly passing through Omani waters. Further negotiations are expected to determine permanent shipping lanes, traffic-management mechanisms and maritime security arrangements.
Iran has stressed that the temporary agreement does not amount to a full reopening of Hormuz. Tehran has linked broader navigation arrangements to outstanding political and security disputes with Washington, including sanctions and the terms of earlier understandings intended to halt the conflict.
Britain and France have also prepared plans for a wider maritime reassurance operation involving mine clearance and protection for commercial shipping if political conditions allow. European navies retain specialised mine-hunting capabilities that could complement US equipment and autonomous underwater systems.
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