Hormuz: U.S. Navy on the hunt for Iranian mines

Locate and destroy Iranian mines before they sink ships and, with them, the global economy. This is the new critical mission the U.S. Navy is conducting in the Strait of Hormuz, in what is shaping up to be a dangerous and exhausting game of hide-and-seek.

The threat is concrete: although the joint U.S.-Israel military campaign has reduced Iranian stockpiles, thousands of mines remain undestroyed. The mere threat of attacks on commercial vessels has been enough to paralyze the strait and throw energy markets into chaos. If a mine were to strike or sink a tanker, maritime traffic, already reduced to almost nothing, could come to a complete standstill, further worsening the global energy crisis.

However, the task is not easy. An area cleared today can easily be mined again tomorrow by small Iranian vessels, making the operation endless and grueling.

So far, the Navy has not found any mines. But the reluctance of commercial operators to transit their ships makes it even more urgent to demonstrate the existence of safe routes. “Today, we have begun the process of establishing a new transit corridor and will soon share this safe path with the shipping industry,” stated Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM.

Technology against mines

The American arsenal includes surface ships, helicopters, and underwater drones. On the front lines are the Knifefish and Kingfish remotely operated submersibles, launched from Navy ships, which use sonar to locate explosives on the seabed or near the surface. According to Wills, the advantage is that CENTCOM now possesses detailed maps of the seafloor, allowing for the rapid identification of any anomalies.

According to Bryan Clark, a former Navy officer now with the Hudson Institute, transit lanes could be cleared in a few weeks thanks to these new technologies.

Iran possesses several types of mines: some rest on the seafloor and activate when a ship passes over, others are moored and float just below the surface, while still others drift with the sea currents.

Reinforcements on the way

The American deployment in the region is steadily growing. More than a dozen warships are already operational, and further reinforcements are en route to the Middle East. Last Friday, two Avenger-class minesweepers, the USS Chief and USS Pioneer, left Singapore bound for the Gulf. Three Littoral Combat Ships equipped with mine-countermeasure systems, which were withdrawn from the zone before the initial strikes on Iran, could soon return to the area.

The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, with 2,200 Marines on board, is also approaching from the Pacific. Upon their arrival, the total number of Marines deployed at sea in the region will exceed 5,000, bringing the American naval presence to over 20 units.

All of this comes as President Donald Trump told Fox News on Tuesday that he believes the war is “very close to an end.”

Photo Navy