The top US commander for the Middle East said that American forces have cleared Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz, after Washington’s allies expressed doubts about similar claims by President Donald Trump.
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said in the three-and-a-half-minute video released Thursday night that “over the past few months, our forces meticulously and quietly” cleared the international shipping lanes of mines. The work was carried out by Navy divers and SEALs, as well as aircraft.
“The circumstances were challenging and dangerous, to say the least, but we got the job done,” Cooper added in the video, which included a detailed map and a diagram. “Bottom line, today, international shipping lanes are open and momentum is building.”
US allies, however, have privately warned that the strait, a key thoroughfare for Middle East oil, natural gas and fertilizer, was still likely mined. The dangers posed by mines and attacks on commercial vessels have severely curtailed shipping in the strait since the US and Israel began the war with Iran in late February.
The US is likely to have made some progress, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because they were discussing internal assessments. But they believe that operations haven’t cleared all of the estimated 80 to 150 mines laid by the Iranians.
{{/usCountry}}The US is likely to have made some progress, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because they were discussing internal assessments. But they believe that operations haven’t cleared all of the estimated 80 to 150 mines laid by the Iranians.
{{/usCountry}}American officials rejected that assessment. One person familiar with the US position, who also asked not to be named, said those figures were outdated.
On Wednesday, Trump called Hormuz — which links the Persian Gulf to global markets — “a very functioning strait,” while repeating his claim that no mines remained.
Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US had guided 130 million barrels of oil out through Hormuz over the past 14 days, according to a post on X. Bessent is leading an effort to try to isolate Iran’s economy with a wave of sanctions and curbs in a bid to force Tehran’s capitulation.
The Islamic Republic has insisted throughout the conflict it controls the strait, and the status of the waterway has been a key sticking point in on-off talks with the US. Earlier this week, Iran’s military said it reached a revenue-sharing deal on Hormuz with Oman, which sits along the artery’s southern edge.