US Announces Completion of Mine Clearance Operations in Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump has announced that the US Navy has successfully removed or detonated all mines deployed in the Strait of Hormuz—a critical maritime passage that Iran has largely sealed off since the outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East.

“Iran has been notified that any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed,” Trump stated in a post on his Truth Social platform.

There has been no comment from Iran regarding the announcement.

The closure of the strait has triggered significant volatility in global oil prices. While Trump has repeatedly asserted that the US maintains control of the region, Iran has targeted vessels it claims attempted to cross without authorization.

Prior to the conflict, which began on 28 February with US and Israeli airstrikes against Iran, approximately 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

Beyond sealing the strait, Iran has conducted retaliatory operations against Israel, US military installations in the region, and American-aligned Arab nations in the Gulf.

A ceasefire designed to enable negotiations toward ending the conflict has broken down, with intermittent hostilities continuing between the US and Iran.

This week, the US unveiled a comprehensive package of economic sanctions targeting Iran.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent cautioned that any nation engaging in financial dealings with Iran would face isolation.

Iran and the US signed a Memorandum of Understanding in June—a 14-point document establishing a 60-day deadline for reaching an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz, before substantive negotiations on resolving the nuclear issue—accusations that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon, which Tehran has consistently refuted.

That deadline has now passed, and negotiations have stalled, resulting in the new sanctions that Trump believes will precipitate the collapse of the Iranian regime.

Iran has faced sanctions for much of the period since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979, and Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh stated that Tehran is “fully prepared” for the expanded sanctions, which he predicted would result in “another defeat” for the US.

However, Iran’s economy has been significantly impacted by the conflict—and by a US-imposed blockade of Iranian ports that has been in effect for several weeks, preventing normal trade.

On Tuesday, China—the largest purchaser of Iranian oil—expressed firm opposition to what it termed the US’s “illegal unilateral sanctions” and stated it would take “all necessary measures” to protect its interests.

The US announcement comes ahead of scheduled talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping next month.

Washington is likely to be cautious of potential retaliation from Beijing, which processes the majority of the world’s rare earths and other critical minerals essential to the production of numerous high-technology products.

Beijing has already implemented stricter export controls on rare earths as part of previous trade negotiations with the US.

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