U.S. Forces Strike Iran's Minelayers in Strait of Hormuz

U.S. Central Command and U.S. officials released footage and statements saying American forces struck Iranian naval assets near the Strait of Hormuz, including the destruction of 16 mine-laying vessels, and noted a broader campaign of strikes inside Iran.

“Attacks in the Strait of Hormuz intensify as Iran says it targeted commercial ships The U”

ABC News

CENTCOM released unclassified footage showing the destruction of 16 Iranian minelayers, and CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a video post that “To date, we have struck more than 5,500 targets inside Iran, including more than 60 ships, using a variety of precision weapons systems.”

ABC News

The Guardian likewise reported that “The US military has said it attacked and destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the strait of Hormuz.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps publicly said its navy struck commercial vessels transiting the waterway and that every ship must seek permission to pass, while regional authorities and shipping bodies reported attacks and missing crew.

An IRGC spokesperson said the Express Room and the Mayuree Naree were targeted after allegedly ignoring warnings, and IRGC naval commander Adm. Alireza Tangsiri posted that “Every vessel intending to pass must obtain permission from Iran.”

CNN

Thai authorities and reporting noted that three crew members on the Mayuree Naree remained unaccounted for after an explosion in the engine room.

Multiple intelligence and media reports said Iran has been laying mines in the Strait, a concentrated and asymmetric tactic that can severely disrupt shipping even if only a modest number of devices are deployed.

“The US Navy decommissioned the last of its four dedicated minesweepers in the region last September, leaving it dependent on less specialized ships”

CNN

CNN reported that “Iran has begun laying a few dozen mines in the strait, according to two people familiar with US intelligence on the matter,” while U.S. officials cited to Reuters told Brazilian outlet Folha de S.Paulo that Tehran had placed about 12 devices.

Analysts cited by Folha also note Iran’s longer-term mine inventory: “the country has an arsenal of about 2,000 naval mines designed to float or be anchored.”

The strategic and economic stakes were underscored by warnings about the strait’s centrality to global oil flows and by mixed messages from U.S. leaders and maritime authorities over how extensive the mining was.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimate noted by Military described the corridor as moving “roughly 20 million barrels of petroleum liquids move through the strait each day, representing about 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption,” while outlets recorded inconsistent statements from President Trump, the Pentagon and maritime monitors.

Fox News

For example, Trump wrote that “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!,” CNN said Trump “sowed confusion” by saying he didn’t think Iran had managed to lay mines, and Fox noted that “It was not immediately clear whether any mines had already been placed in the water before the U.S. action.”

The crisis prompted market interventions and military planning to keep shipping moving: the IEA and allies announced a large emergency oil release while U.S. and European navies weighed escort options.

“It was not immediately clear whether any mines had already been placed in the water before the U”

Fox News

South Florida Reporter said the IEA and its 32 member nations “announced a coordinated release of 400 million barrels of oil” and quoted Executive Director Fatih Birol saying, “This is a major action aiming to alleviate the immediate impacts of the disruption in markets.”

Military

Media coverage also noted that leaders were considering escorts — CNN reported that “Trump has proposed providing escorts for shipping in the strait,” and Fox reported that “France sent two frigates to join a European Union-led escort mission for ships through the strait.”