Sudden!Iran begins laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens to completely destroy ships
- Author:weiyun.com
- Source:weiyun.com
- Release Date:2026-03-12
According to CBS, Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Once a minefield forms, the channel will be completely closed to commercial shipping within days or even weeks.
According to CNN, the scale of mine laying is currently small, and only the first batch of about a few dozen mines have been laid from its huge inventory of mines in recent days.
An Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps mine-laying ship off the coast of Iran (Fars News Agency/Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps file photo)
Multiple officials revealed to the media that after the first round of strikes by the United States and Israel, about 90% of Iran’s minelayers were still preserved.
After the news came out, international oil prices immediately rebounded, rising by about 10 US dollars per barrel, reversing the previous downward trend due to the United States' signal to withdraw its troops.
As the situation in the Middle East war zone continues to escalate, how can we grasp ship dynamics as soon as possible?The ship positioning and query function of the Weiyun.com applet helps you understand abnormal situations as soon as possible!
However, according to Xinhua News Agency on March 10, US President Trump posted on social media that Iran would face "unprecedented" military consequences if it mines the Strait of Hormuz. He also stated that the US military will "totally destroy any ship that attempts to mine the Strait of Hormuz."
Later, it issued a document saying that the US military had hit and destroyed 10 inactive Iranian mine-laying ships in the past few hours, and relevant actions would continue to be carried out in the future.
On the same day on the 10th, the U.S. Central Command posted on social media that the U.S. military destroyed multiple Iranian naval vessels near the Strait of Hormuz that day, including 16 mine-laying vessels.
Laying mines is generally considered by the industry to be Iran's final means to block the Strait of Hormuz, as this measure will also have a serious impact on Iran's domestic shipping.
As of now, Iran's "shadow fleet" is still exporting oil to China through this narrow channel. At the same time, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards have kept out most Western ships by relying on the threat of missiles, bomb boats and drone attacks.
Once mines are laid, the current situation is likely to end completely, and oil exports, which are crucial to the long-term survival of the Iranian regime, will also be interrupted.
If Iran finally decides to carry out mine-laying operations, it is estimated that it has at least 2,000 mines in reserve and has the corresponding release capabilities.
Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on the 10th local time: "The US military is making every effort to destroy all Iranian mine-laying ships, but this task is extremely difficult."
Source: UKMTO
In addition, Xinhua News Agency, Abu Dhabi, March 11th, the British Maritime Trade Action Office said on the 11th that a container ship reported being attacked and damaged in waters near the United Arab Emirates, and all personnel on board were safe.
The British Maritime Trade Action Office issued a statement saying that the vessel reported being attacked by a suspected but unidentified missile in the waters 25 nautical miles (about 46 kilometers) northwest of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.
The extent of the damage is unknown at this time and the investigation is ongoing.
This is the second container ship that has been publicly reported to have been attacked.Weiyun.com previously reported that on March 4, the Malta-registered container ship "Safeen Prestige" was hit by a shell in the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire in the engine room.Click here to read →: Breaking!The first container ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz was hit by a shell and caught fire!
Once a minefield forms, the channel will be completely closed to commercial shipping within days or even weeks.
According to CNN, the scale of mine laying is currently small, and only the first batch of about a few dozen mines have been laid from its huge inventory of mines in recent days.
An Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps mine-laying ship off the coast of Iran (Fars News Agency/Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps file photo)
Multiple officials revealed to the media that after the first round of strikes by the United States and Israel, about 90% of Iran’s minelayers were still preserved.
After the news came out, international oil prices immediately rebounded, rising by about 10 US dollars per barrel, reversing the previous downward trend due to the United States' signal to withdraw its troops.
As the situation in the Middle East war zone continues to escalate, how can we grasp ship dynamics as soon as possible?The ship positioning and query function of the Weiyun.com applet helps you understand abnormal situations as soon as possible!
However, according to Xinhua News Agency on March 10, US President Trump posted on social media that Iran would face "unprecedented" military consequences if it mines the Strait of Hormuz. He also stated that the US military will "totally destroy any ship that attempts to mine the Strait of Hormuz."
Later, it issued a document saying that the US military had hit and destroyed 10 inactive Iranian mine-laying ships in the past few hours, and relevant actions would continue to be carried out in the future.
On the same day on the 10th, the U.S. Central Command posted on social media that the U.S. military destroyed multiple Iranian naval vessels near the Strait of Hormuz that day, including 16 mine-laying vessels.
Laying mines is generally considered by the industry to be Iran's final means to block the Strait of Hormuz, as this measure will also have a serious impact on Iran's domestic shipping.
As of now, Iran's "shadow fleet" is still exporting oil to China through this narrow channel. At the same time, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards have kept out most Western ships by relying on the threat of missiles, bomb boats and drone attacks.
Once mines are laid, the current situation is likely to end completely, and oil exports, which are crucial to the long-term survival of the Iranian regime, will also be interrupted.
If Iran finally decides to carry out mine-laying operations, it is estimated that it has at least 2,000 mines in reserve and has the corresponding release capabilities.
Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on the 10th local time: "The US military is making every effort to destroy all Iranian mine-laying ships, but this task is extremely difficult."
Source: UKMTO
In addition, Xinhua News Agency, Abu Dhabi, March 11th, the British Maritime Trade Action Office said on the 11th that a container ship reported being attacked and damaged in waters near the United Arab Emirates, and all personnel on board were safe.
The British Maritime Trade Action Office issued a statement saying that the vessel reported being attacked by a suspected but unidentified missile in the waters 25 nautical miles (about 46 kilometers) northwest of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.
The extent of the damage is unknown at this time and the investigation is ongoing.
This is the second container ship that has been publicly reported to have been attacked.Weiyun.com previously reported that on March 4, the Malta-registered container ship "Safeen Prestige" was hit by a shell in the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire in the engine room.Click here to read →: Breaking!The first container ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz was hit by a shell and caught fire!