US Navy SEALs secretly spent four months clearing mines from the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes, according to a report cited by The Financial Times. The covert operation took place amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran, with both sides exchanging strikes across West Asia.
Intelligence assessments suggested Iran had deployed mines in international and Omani waters following the outbreak of regional conflict. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) estimated that around 80 mines had been placed along key shipping lanes, posing a major threat to commercial vessels.
To counter this, American SEAL divers worked with unmanned vessels, underwater robots, and specialised sonar‑equipped submersibles to locate and remove suspected Iranian mines — often operating at night to avoid detection. The mission aimed to reopen the strait for safe commercial navigation, given its importance for global energy supplies.
Hints of the operation surfaced when US President Donald Trump announced that “all mines” in international waters had been removed or destroyed — a claim later confirmed by the US military. Reports indicated that three US mine‑countermeasure vessels normally stationed in the Gulf were involved in the effort.
Experts say mine‑clearing is an extremely dangerous and time‑consuming task, even in peacetime. Retired US Navy captain Bill Hamblet explained that divers must approach each mine manually, attach a charge, and destroy it — a process made riskier by ongoing conflict. Despite the hazards, no US casualties were reported.