Iranian authorities publish map which suggests sea mines have been deployed in Strait of Hormuz

“All ships intending to transit the Strait of Hormuz are hereby informed that in order to comply with the principles of maritime safety and be protected from possible collisions with naval mines, they must take alternative routes for traffic in the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement said.

The statement was accompanied by instructions for safe entry and exit routes for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

It is feared that this latest development will deter ships from entering the strait.

Hundreds of ships are still believed to be stranded as both sides in the conflict carry out attacks, despite reports of a ceasefire.

An unsubstantiated threat of naval mines could also be enough to bring cross-strait trade to a standstill again.

“Naval mines offer clear advantages as a maritime weapon. They require little training or specialist support. They are easy to deploy: they can be placed in the water from civilian boats, small craft or submarines,” wrote retired Royal Australian Navy mine warfare specialist Andy Perry.

“And unlike many other naval weapons, they can be deployed without direct combat interaction with an adversary, remaining inactive until activated by passing ships.”

The US Naval Institute estimates that Iran may have between 5,000 and 6,000 mines.

Perry said mine warfare does not have to leave a trail of sunken ships to be considered a successful military strategy.

“Maritime access through the strait may be determined less by firepower and more by caution, uncertainty and slow responses by mine countermeasures forces,” he added.

The US military claimed earlier this month that it had “eliminated” Iranian minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump threatened serious consequences for Iran if it deployed mines along the oil chokepoint.

“If Iran has struck mines in the Strait of Hormuz, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed IMMEDIATELY!” he wrote on Truth Social.

He said the US is deploying the same technology used against drug traffickers to “permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to exploit the Strait of Hormuz.”

Trump later claimed that the US had struck “and completely destroyed” a number of “inactive mine-laying boats and/or ships.”

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