FT: SEAL divers cleared mines in the Strait of Hormuz for four months
US special forces conducted a secret four-month operation to locate and neutralize mines in the Strait of Hormuz; Iran said that after the start of the war it had laid mines, including in Omani waters. The mission aimed to make the route safer for commercial vessels, which had largely avoided the area after US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February. This was reported by the Jerusalem Post, citing the Financial Times.
According to the publication's sources, the operation was conducted amid reciprocal US-Iranian strikes in the area of the strait. Divers from SEAL units operated mainly at night, using unmanned vessels, robotic systems and specialized underwater equipment to detect and remove suspected Iranian mines.
Work of divers and unmanned systems
In June, the International Maritime Organization estimated the number of mines deployed on important shipping routes at around 80. Small groups of divers operated from boats with inflatable sides. They were assisted by unmanned surface vehicles and underwater systems equipped with sonars to search for objects underwater.
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After a mine was detected, divers may have needed to approach it personally, place a charge and destroy it. Former US Navy captain Bill Hamblet told the Financial Times that it is typically a diver who must approach a mine and place a charge to destroy it. No US casualties during the operation were reported.
Uncertainty over the route's safety
US President Donald Trump said last week that all mines in the strait's international waters had been removed or destroyed. The US military later confirmed this statement. At the same time, questions remain over whether the entire Strait of Hormuz has been cleared: shipping companies and maritime security consultants believe that areas near Oman through which the United States directed ships have likely been cleared, but they are not as confident about the rest of the waters.
Experts also point out that the risk of renewed mining could deter commercial shipping and raise insurance costs. After Trump's statement, oil prices fell by 5%, but later returned to previous levels amid renewed strikes.
