The BRICS TimesMine-clearing operations in the strategic Strait of Hormuz through which a fifth of global oil flows could drag on for months, even as the Trump administration scrambles to ease rising energy prices.
US Navy begins clearing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz
Donald Trump says American naval forces are now removing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is a critical sea lane for global oil shipments. Its disruption is already threatening the world economy.
Clearing underwater explosives could take several months despite a ceasefire between the US and Iran. Even if the US declares the waterway safe, commercial ships and their insurers may not believe it.
“You don’t even have to have lain mines you just have to make people believe that you’ve laid mines,” said Emma Salisbury, a scholar at the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s National Security Program.
“And even if the US sweeps the strait and says everything’s clear, all the Iranians have to do is say, ‘Well, actually, you haven’t found them all yet,'” said Salisbury, who is also a fellow at the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre.
Mine-clearing could take up to six months, Pentagon warns
The Trump administration is pushing hard to restore traffic through the strait. Rising energy prices and wider economic fallout are becoming a serious political liability.
Pentagon officials briefed lawmakers privately this week. They said clearing Iranian mines could take roughly six months. A person familiar with the classified briefing at the House Armed Services Committee confirmed this.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth sidestepped questions about the timeline. “Allegedly that was something that was said,” Hegseth told reporters Friday. “But we feel confident in our ability, in the correct period of time, to clear any mines that we identify.”
Navy divers and disposal teams already operating in the region
No large US warships have visibly entered the strait for mine-clearing yet. However, Navy divers and small explosive ordnance disposal teams are already active in the area. These units are less conspicuous and less vulnerable than full warships.
Experts note that some mine-clearing equipment can also operate from land. The mines Iran allegedly planted are not the floating spiky balls from action films. They likely rest on the seabed or hang suspended from cables just below the surface.
Germany to send minesweeper for potential Hormuz mission
Germany is preparing to dispatch a minesweeper to the Mediterranean. The vessel could later join operations in the Strait of Hormuz. A German defence ministry spokeswoman confirmed this to reporters on Saturday, saying the deployment would follow the end of the US-Iran conflict.
