US intelligence identifies at least 10 Iranian mines in the Strait of Hormuz, officials say - report
CBS News reports that recent US military assessments place the number of mines in the strategic waterway at 10 or more as Trump pauses a planned strike on Iran, citing 'serious negotiations'
US forces have identified at least 10 mines in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a recent American intelligence assessment, US officials with knowledge of the matter told CBS News.The officials, who spoke anonymously to discuss sensitive national security matters, said the figure reflects the most recent military mapping of the strategic waterway, the report said.
CBS News previously reported in March that there were at least a dozen underwater mines in the Strait of Hormuz, with officials at the time identifying the devices as Iranian-manufactured Maham 3 and Maham 7 Limpet mines. The Maham 3 is a moored naval mine that uses magnetic and acoustic sensors to detect nearby vessels without physical contact, while the Maham 7 is a so-called "sticking mine" designed to rest along the seabed and target medium-sized ships, landing craft, and smaller submarines. CBS News said it was unable to determine the type of mines involved in the latest assessment.
Earlier this month, the US military began directing commercial ships toward a route in the Strait of Hormuz farther from Iran that the US Navy has spent weeks clearing of mines. Washington warned that transiting the normal route could be "extremely hazardous." The Pentagon this month displayed a graphic indicating that Iran had laid new mines in the strait on April 23.
The vital passageway is considered one of the most critical chokepoints in the global economy. Before the conflict began, roughly 20 percent of global oil, or some 15 million barrels of crude per day, flowed through the strait, along with significant volumes of liquefied natural gas. Disruption to those flows has driven up energy costs sharply, with the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States now at $4.50, up more than $1.50 since the war began, according to AAA.
Iran said this week that it was working with Oman to create a joint "mechanism" to control traffic through the strait's shipping lanes, the report noted.
The intelligence assessment comes against a tense diplomatic backdrop. US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he had called off a scheduled strike on Iran that had been planned for Tuesday, citing "serious negotiations" taking place toward a peace deal he said would be acceptable to the US and Middle East countries.