4 months underwater: A secret US mission to dismantle the Hormuz mines
4 months underwater: A secret US mission to dismantle the Hormuz mines
2026-09-06
Shafaq News – Washington
The Financial Times revealed on Sunday that US forces carried out a secret four-month naval operation to remove mines planted by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, in an attempt to reopen one of the most important shipping lanes for commercial vessels and oil shipments.
According to the report, US forces carried out mine-clearing operations mostly during the night, with the participation of divers from the US Navy’s SEAL forces, along with motorized boats and vehicles specialized in underwater work, while explosive devices were disposed of in precise operations inside the strait.
The operation comes amid continued military tensions between the United States and Iran, with sea mines being one of the most prominent risks that have prompted commercial ships to avoid passing through the strait, coinciding with Iranian missile and drone attacks.
Removing sea mines is one of the most complex military operations, as it requires first locating the devices, then approaching them and detonating them without endangering crew members and ships.
According to the Financial Times, US forces used submersible vehicles and motorized boats equipped with sonar devices to scan the seabed and identify objects suspected of being mines.
Among the systems used is the US Navy’s “Unmanned Joint Surface Vessel,” which can pull sonar devices to scan large areas of the seabed, reducing the need for crew members to approach dangerous areas.
Bill Hamblett, a retired U.S. Navy captain, said the next step after the mine is located requires a diver to go into the water, approach it, and place an explosive device to destroy it, noting that the force used in such operations is “very small and lightweight.”
The report indicated the possibility of some operations being carried out from the USS Miguel Keith, a mobile floating base for US Navy expeditionary missions in the Gulf, with the potential use of robotic submersible vehicles to destroy mines.
Since the outbreak of the war, Tehran has announced that it has planted mines in the Strait of Hormuz to prevent ships from passing through, while the International Maritime Organization estimated the presence of about 80 mines in the vital shipping lanes.
In contrast, Washington announced the removal of more than 200 suspected mines from the main corridor, but tests showed that only 11 of them were actual mines, while a limited number were correctly positioned, according to US officials who spoke to Axios late last month.
A few days ago, US President Donald Trump confirmed that all sea mines had been removed from “international waters” in the strait, while the US Navy’s Joint Maritime Information Center warned of the continued danger of mines that may have drifted or not been located.
The risks of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz are not limited to mines, as ships also face the risk of missile and drone attacks.
The Financial Times said that the mere possibility of mines in the strait was enough to frighten ship owners and prompt insurance companies to raise coverage prices significantly, with insurance costs reaching about ten times pre-war levels.
For a giant oil tanker, insurance costs can reach around $10 million, which has increased pressure on trade and oil traffic through the strait.
While Tehran rejected Washington’s assurances regarding mine removal, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in late August that “no one knows the locations of these mines except Iran.”
In the same context, military analysts said that Iran possesses thousands of “Mohammed” type mines, which are mines that can explode when ships collide with sensor arms, while other types work by detecting changes in electromagnetic fields when ships pass over them.
In late August, the US military announced it had carried out a strike targeting Iranian missile launchers that were preparing to launch sea mines inside the Strait.
shafaq.com
