Iran is preparing to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global trading route that oversees the transport of 20% of the world’s oil supply, according to new reports.
Despite the destruction of more than 50 Iranian naval vessels, Tehran still has more than 80% of its small boat and mine-layers to begin deploying traps on the strait, according to CNN. The outlet reported Tuesday that Iran had already started laying the mines.
While the exact size of Tehran’s mine stock is unknown, previous estimates suggested the Islamic Republic has access to roughly 2,000 to 6,000 naval mines on hand.
The looming deployment comes as President Trump specifically warned against such action as his administration mulls taking over the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed by Iranian strikes since the war began.
“If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before,” he added.
“If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!”
Trump said that at least 10 mine laying boats were destroyed as of Tuesday afternoon.
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The Trump administration has been adamant about keeping the Strait of Hormuz open following repeated attacks on oil tankers in the waterway.
The president also warned that the same missile strikes that have taken out suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean would be used on mine ships in the strait, warning Iran to “beware.”
Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Tuesday that the US was taking aim at Iranian mine-laying vessels to prevent the traps from being deployed in the strait.
The US military is currently looking at multiple options on how to keep the strait open and allow the flow of oil through, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
With the war and closure of the strait, the price of oil has turned volatile, with prices swinging wildly after the cost per barrel of Brent crude oil spiked to $119.50 — 65% higher than the pre-war price before settling below $90 on Monday.
