US Military Says Hormuz Shipping Lanes Cleared of Iranian Mines, Iran Disputes Claim

The United States military said on Friday that it has cleared internationally recognised shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz of sea mines laid by Iran, a claim Tehran quickly disputed even as Washington pushed to restore normal commercial traffic through one of the world's most important energy chokepoints.

Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said in a video statement that American forces had "achieved a major milestone" in the strait, describing months of work by Navy divers, special operations forces and aircraft to clear the traffic separation scheme used by commercial vessels. He said the effort had helped nearly 1,500 commercial ships transit the waterway, carrying close to 750 million barrels of crude oil bound for global markets.

Background to the standoff

The strait has been a flashpoint since the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran in late February, with the stated aim of halting Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Iran responded by restricting maritime traffic through the passage using mines, drones and missiles, choking off a route that normally carries a large share of the world's seaborne oil trade. Cooper said US forces have also turned back roughly 75 vessels attempting to breach the American blockade and disabled three ships that failed to comply with orders.

President Donald Trump had said for months that the strait was effectively open, even as the number of vessels making the transit fell sharply from the roughly 140 ships a day recorded before the conflict began. Following the CENTCOM announcement, Trump reiterated on social media that any ship or boat caught laying new mines would be "immediately and systematically destroyed," adding that satellite surveillance was watching "every square inch" of the strait.

Iran pushes back

Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, rejected the American claim, saying only Iranian authorities know the true location of mines in the strait and that the waterway remains effectively closed because of both mines and ongoing military activity. He questioned why, if the US account were accurate, more vessels were not transiting the strait, and dismissed Washington's statements as "propaganda intended to create calm in global energy markets."

Gharibabadi's comments came against the backdrop of a proposed framework involving Iran and Oman that would include a joint project to clear mines from the strait, suggesting Tehran sees any demining effort as something that should be coordinated rather than unilaterally declared complete by the US military.

Why it matters for markets

Shipping data cited by market participants shows traffic through the strait remains well below pre-war levels, with roughly 10 commodity vessels passing through on a recent day compared with a 10-day average closer to 15, and oil flows still only a fraction of the more than 20 million barrels per day that moved through the corridor before the conflict. For major energy importers, including India, developments in the strait carry direct consequences: any durable easing of the blockade could relieve pressure on crude prices, while continued disruption keeps a risk premium embedded in global energy markets and, by extension, in the cost of oil imports for consuming nations.

Independent verification of the US military's claim remains difficult given the classified nature of much of the mine-clearing operation, and the dispute between Washington and Tehran over the strait's actual status is likely to continue shaping oil markets and diplomatic negotiations in the days ahead.

This article is an original editorial summary based on publicly reported information. It has been independently written for publication and does not reproduce content from any single source.