Iran is unable to locate the mines it laid in the Strait of Hormuz and does not have the capacity to remove the explosives, according to a report in the New York Times citing US officials.
The report said the mines were dropped into the waterway erratically, and that Iran may not have marked where all of them were placed. That, in turn, is preventing Iran from being able to restore more traffic through the strait.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important shipping routes and a chokepoint for a fifth of global oil supply. Reopening the passage is a central US demand in efforts to end the war in Iran.
The strait’s effective closure has already driven fuel prices sharply higher, contributing to what has been described as the world’s largest energy crisis in decades. The disruption has also increased pressure on US president Donald Trump domestically.
The New York Times account did not provide further details on how the US assessed Iran’s ability to recover or remove the mines. It comes amid continuing tensions over the strait and its role in the wider conflict.
