Iran's Revolutionary Guard naval forces deployed additional mines in the Strait of Hormuz this week, marking an escalation in the military standoff that now threatens to trigger the worst oil supply crisis in modern history.
A U.S. official and a source briefed on the operation confirmed the new minelaying activity. The disclosure prompted President Trump to order the U.S. Navy to "shoot and kill" any Iranian vessels engaged in mine placement, warning there would be "no hesitation" in carrying out the directive.
The strategic waterway has become a flash point of competing military operations. While Iran continues laying mines and attacking commercial shipping, the U.S. has deployed three aircraft carrier strike groups to tighten what officials describe as a naval blockade. The USS George H.W. Bush arrived in the region Thursday to join two other American carriers already positioned there.
The economic stakes are staggering. Before the conflict, roughly one-fifth of the world's seaborne oil moved through the strait daily, often carried by more than 100 ships. Traffic has now collapsed to single digits on most days. The International Energy Agency has already characterized the disruption as the largest oil supply shock in global market history, surpassing the 1970s embargoes.
This represents the second round of Iranian mine deployment since the broader military confrontation began. U.S. military sensors detected the operation and tracked it closely, though officials declined to disclose how many new mines were laid. Before this latest activity, experts estimated Iran had deployed fewer than 100 mines total. The White House cited intelligence sensitivities in refusing to provide specifics.
At the outset of the conflict, U.S. military assessments suggested that more than 90% of Iran's large mine-laying vessels and storage warehouses had been destroyed. However, Iranian forces retained significant stocks of mines positioned at coastal locations, delivered via relatively small and maneuverable fishing vessel-sized Gashti boats. Each vessel can carry between two and four mines and can be equipped with rocket launchers and machine guns to target large tankers.
The Iranian navy still operates scores of these small craft, giving it considerable capacity for further mining operations despite the American air campaign. U.S. officials expressed uncertainty about whether mines from the first deployment have been fully located and removed from the waterway.
The U.S. response includes deployment of specialized mine-clearing capabilities. Trump announced that mine countermeasure vessels including the USS Chief and USS Pioneer are now operating in the strait, along with underwater drones conducting detection and removal work. The effort could expand to include mine-hunting helicopters and surveillance aircraft, though military experts warn that the narrow passage presents significant vulnerability to Iranian retaliation.
Since the blockade began, U.S. Central Command has redirected 33 vessels away from the strait. Trump indicated he has ordered the mine-clearing operation "to continue, but at a tripled up level," signaling an expanded commitment to clearing the waterway and maintaining American military options if the conflict resumes.
Author James Rodriguez: "The mine campaign shows Iran still has teeth despite heavy U.S. air superiority, and that calculus changes how this ends."
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