The latest

The United States struck Iran for the first time in a month, targeting launch sites that American forces said were preparing rockets to deploy naval mines into the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran responded with a missile salvo at Jordan, home to thousands of U.S. troops; all were intercepted. The exchange underscored Washington’s determination to secure the waterway and Tehran’s ability to use mining as leverage in the war and negotiations to end it.

Details

• Strategic imbalance: Iran does not need to sink a ship to disrupt traffic; it can deter owners, captains and insurers by sustaining fear of mines. The U.S. task is more demanding: locate and disable every device, then stop Iranian forces from reseeding lanes already cleared.
• Coastal deployment: Iran’s regular navy has largely been destroyed, but the Revolutionary Guard retains many small, fast boats hidden along the coast that can drop mines. In a 2025 exercise, the Guard demonstrated a Fajr-5 rocket system capable of placing a sea mine at distance without exposing a mine-laying vessel.
• Unclear launchers: Washington hasn’t identified the systems destroyed on Sunday as Fajr-5 launchers, and the payload details remained unclear. Thomas Shugart, a former U.S. Navy officer and naval consultant, said rocket size suggested the mines would likely be relatively small and simple. The threat was nevertheless serious enough for U.S. forces to strike.
• Blockade and escorts: President Trump reimposed a naval blockade in mid-July, barring Iranian oil and other goods from entering or leaving the country’s ports. The Navy has also escorted tankers through Hormuz. Days before the strike, Trump said all mines in the waterway had been removed or detonated and threatened vessels laying new ones.
• Clearance methods: Specialized ships sweep cables anchoring mines to the seabed, allowing them to surface for destruction. Other ships, drones and aircraft mimic a passing vessel’s magnetic field, pressure or noise to trigger explosives safely. Central Command said Navy divers, SEALs and air power cleared Iranian mines from internationally recognized shipping lanes last week.
• Constricted waterway: Commercial shipping is concentrated in narrow lanes that reduce room to evade mines and simplify targeting. Before the war, Hormuz carried one-fifth of the world’s oil. Iran’s nearby coast also lets it disperse boats, mines and other weapons, complicating continuous U.S. patrols.

Background

Naval mines have shaped warfare for centuries. During World War II, U.S. aircraft laid more than 12,000 mines around Japan, sinking or badly damaging about 670 ships. Their modern appeal remains similar: they are relatively cheap, easy to acquire or build, simple to transport and flexible to deploy.

What’s next

The immediate test is whether tanker escorts keep internationally recognized lanes moving and whether U.S. air and naval patrols intercept Iranian boats or rocket launchers before they can place new mines in waters already cleared.