According to CBS News, U.S. intelligence has uncovered indications that Iran might be planning to obstruct the Strait of Hormuz by deploying mines across the shipping lane. Intelligence sources cited by CBS suggest that Iran could utilize small vessels, each capable of transporting two or three mines.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump stated on Truth Social: “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!”
The president further remarked: “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. If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!”
These statements follow a warning issued by Trump less than 24 hours earlier, in which he threatened Iran with military retaliation should it interfere with the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil transit point.
“If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
This development follows comments from Trump regarding the potential conclusion of the conflict with Iran and the status of the Strait. On Monday, Trump mentioned that the U.S. is “thinking about taking it over,” adding that the war could conclude soon, provided Iran does not disrupt oil transit through the strait.
CBS noted that although Iran’s exact inventory of mines is not public knowledge, estimates suggest the nation possesses between 2,000 and 6,000 naval mines.
Why the Strait of Hormuz matters: 20% of global oil supply
Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration indicates that an average of 20 million barrels of oil pass through the Strait of Hormuz daily, representing roughly 20% of total global petroleum liquid consumption. Furthermore, approximately one-fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas trade transits the waterway.
The strait is of strategic importance not only to the United States but also to China, which relies on the route for about half of its oil imports. Approximately 90% of Iran’s oil exports are destined for China, often routed through third-party nations to bypass sanctions. Other Asian nations, such as India, Japan, and South Korea, also depend on oil shipments passing through the strait.
Following a dip to roughly $78 per barrel on Tuesday, oil prices rebounded to $86 by the afternoon. Prices had briefly reached their highest levels since 2022, following the selection of hardliner Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as the successor to his late father, Ali Khamenei, as Iran’s supreme leader.