According to the New York Times, the US officials said that Iran has not been able to reopen the Strait of Hormuz safely and make the routes for ships because it may not know the exact locations of the naval mines it deployed, and cannot fully clear them. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has cautioned about the risk of hitting sea mines, while Iranian media has published and suggested safe passage routes.
However, those routes are reportedly limited because the mines were laid in a disorganised way, and it is not known whether Iran kept complete records of their placement. Officials also said, noting that even where locations were recorded, some mines may have shifted or drifted over time.
When did Iran deploy mines in the Strait of Hormuz?
Iran reportedly deployed small boats to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz last month, shortly after the US and Israel began military actions against it. The combination of those mines and the threat of Iranian drone and missile strikes significantly reduced tanker and commercial traffic through the waterway.
US and Iran on the Strait of Hormuz
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump posted on social media about a temporary stop in the US-Israeli and Iran conflict, and stated a two-week ceasefire would depend on the “complete, immediate, and safe opening” of the Strait of Hormuz.
The following day, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz would remain open to shipping, but only “with due consideration of technical limitations,” and as per the report, US officials interpreted it as an acknowledgment that Iran cannot quickly locate or clear the naval mines it has deployed.
US–Iran Talks in Islamabad on the Ceasefire
A US delegation headed by Vice President JD Vance arrived in Pakistan to talk with Iranian officials, aiming to reinforce a fragile ceasefire and working toward a lasting resolution to the conflict.
However, the Pakistan-brokered ceasefire still faces challenges as discussions begin Saturday, and clashes continue between Israel and Hezbollah along southern Lebanon’s border, and Iran has set preconditions for negotiations.
On the other hand, the Iranian delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, reached Islamabad and stated on X that talks would only proceed if Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Lebanon and releases frozen Iranian assets.
What would happen if Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz?
If Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, it would trigger a massive global energy crisis, immediately halting roughly 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply.
Iran and the US on the Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz
Donald Trump says the Strait of Hormuz will open fairly soon with or without Iran’s assistance, as Tehran’s effective blockade of the waterway continues to disrupt energy supplies worldwide.
US and Iran on Strait of Hormuz: Conclusion
The situation in the Strait of Hormuz has evolved into a precarious stalemate where technical negligence has collided with high-stakes geopolitics. Although a fragile ceasefire brokered in Islamabad offers a glimmer of hope, the reality of disorganised naval mining suggests that Iran has lost control over its own blockade.
As the US demands a safe opening as a condition for peace and Iran counter-demands the release of assets and a Lebanese ceasefire, the waterway remains a volatile bottleneck.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is based on publicly available sources. The Sunday Guardian doesn’t claim anything.
