US Navy Clears All Hormuz Mines as Trump Warns Iran Over 20% Oil Route
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 25
US Navy Clears All Hormuz Mines as Trump Warns Iran Over 20% Oil Route
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 25
Summary
Trump said the US Navy has removed or detonated all mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway Iran has largely closed since the war began on 28 February.
20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas once transited the strait, and its closure has driven sharp swings in world oil prices as Iran fired on vessels it said crossed without permission.
Trump warned any ship or boat laying new mines would be "immediately and systematically destroyed," while Iran has not commented on the clearance claim.
The move comes after a June 14-point US-Iran memorandum failed to produce a Hormuz deal within 60 days, pushing Washington toward new sanctions and a weeks-long blockade of Iranian ports.
China, Iran's biggest oil buyer, has condemned the new US sanctions as illegal ahead of next month's Trump-Xi talks, underscoring how the Hormuz fight now reaches energy, trade and critical minerals.
With mines cleared but deadly projectile attacks continuing, what will it actually take for global shipping insurers to greenlight the Strait of Hormuz?
How can the US enforce a territorial claim over the Strait of Hormuz without triggering a massive international legal and military backlash?
If alternative pipelines fall short, could the ongoing danger in the Strait permanently reshape the global energy supply chain?