Trump announced full demining of the Strait of Hormuz and threatened Iran
US President Donald Trump said that all sea mines in international waters of the Strait of Hormuz have been removed or destroyed. According to him, Iran was warned that any ships that try to lay new mines will be destroyed.
Trump said this on August 25, stating that he received the relevant information from the US Navy.
“I have just been informed by the US Navy that all mines have been removed and/or exploded in international waters of the Strait of Hormuz,” — wrote the American president.
Trump claims that Tehran has already received a warning from Washington: any ship or boat that will be used to lay new mines in the strait, American forces intend to “immediately and systematically destroy.”
The US President also announced the introduction of a “zero tolerance” policy for mining the Strait of Hormuz.
According to him, the United States is using the capabilities of the Space Forces to monitor the entire waters of the strait. Trump said that Washington intends to prevent re-mining of this strategic maritime route.
There was no independent confirmation at the time of the statement that absolutely all mines in international waters of the strait had already been neutralized. The completion of the operation was reported directly by the US President with reference to the Navy.
Oil flow through the strait remains sharply restricted
The statement came amid the ongoing confrontation between the US and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. In recent weeks, the parties have not launched airstrikes on each other’s armed forces, but attacks on merchant ships in the strait area have continued.
According to preliminary data from the vessel tracking service Vortexa, about 5 million barrels of oil per day were passing through the strait on Monday. Before the current conflict began, the figure exceeded 20 million barrels per day.
Thus, oil transit through one of the world’s most important energy routes is now about four times lower than pre-war levels. Before the conflict, the volume of oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz was comparable to about a fifth of global consumption.
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Gulf states export a significant portion of their oil and petroleum products through it, so any shipping restrictions quickly affect the global energy market.
Trump’s demining statement potentially reduces one of the threats to shipping, but it does not yet mean full restoration of safe passage through the strait: attacks on ships and the confrontation between Washington and Tehran continue.
Based on materials from: Donald Trump, Reuters
