The Trump administration had announced that the U.S. Military cleared all the Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz. Since Iranians knew where they all were, it’s hard to believe.
However, the Financial Times explained how they did it.
Mostly at night, it sent Navy SEAL divers, robot boats, and specialized underwater craft into the perilous strait for a four-month mine-clearing mission, people familiar with the operation said.
The fraught process of explosive device disposal was carried out underwater and in darkness in an attempt to eliminate a crucial factor deterring ships from carrying vital cargoes through the strait since the US and Israel attacked Iran in February. …
Bill Hamblet, a retired US Navy captain, said it was a “very small, lightweight kind of force”.
The US may have staged some operations from the USS Miguel Keith, a floating “expeditionary mobile base” attached to the Gulf naval forces, Hamblet added.
“Robot submersibles can also be used to destroy mines with explosives, he said. These could include the UK’s SeaFox, or the newer US AN/ASQ-235 Archerfish,” said Bryan Clark, a demining expert at the Hudson Institute.
“It is an extremely time-consuming process,” said Nitya Labh, associate fellow at Chatham House. “They are doing, essentially, active bomb detonation underwater.”
Courageous men.
Update on the War
Iran says it is planning a restrictive exclusion zone outside the Strait of Hormuz. Any ship heading through gets slapped on its “sanctions list.” That is a war of messaging at this point.
🚨 IRAN THREATENS A NEW EXCLUSION ZONE — TRUMP’S BLOCKADE IS SQUEEZING TEHRAN DRY🚨
Iran says it is planning a restrictive exclusion zone outside the Strait of Hormuz. Any ship heading through gets slapped on their “sanctions list.”
That is a war of messaging. Oil dollars are… pic.twitter.com/mrJ5o1BdhX
— And We Know©🇺🇸 (@andweknow) September 8, 2026
CENTCOM’s Admiral Cooper says that for every two American ships Iran fires on, the U.S. hits three of theirs. Days ago, America destroyed three shadow-fleet tankers in port. “The blockade is working like nothing we’ve ever seen.” Only about 3 million barrels of Iranian oil are still at sea outside the blockade.
In addition to the new sanctions, the US will now add sanctions on Iranian airlines.
Treasury Secretary Bessent has announced that under Operation Economic Outcast, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned 36 targets for supporting Iran’s aviation sector, which the regime uses to move weapons, personnel, and illicit cargo.
Additionally, Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is issuing an Alert asking financial institutions to report procurement networks supporting Iran’s aviation industry.
“Under Operation Economic Outcast, we promised severe consequences for those providing financial lifelines to the Iranian regime,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.
“Today, we followed through on that promise with sanctions on companies that continue to support Mahan Air. Let this be a warning to anyone doing business with Iran’s remaining airlines, all of which we sanctioned today: You are at risk of being cut off from the global financial system.”
At least 15 international routes from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport have been restored since April 25 under the ceasefire. The regime tells the world this is a humanitarian lifeline to unite families and re-establish normal life. That isn’t true. The Treasury’s own documents show Mahan Air providing transportation, financial transfers and personnel travel services to the IRGC-Quds Force. These are Revolutionary Guard Corps airlines. They are used to continue their fight. They aren’t at all finished.
Iran’s nuclear infrastructure has been severely degraded. Its air defenses are in ruins. Its ballistic-missile program has collapsed from producing 100 missiles a month to zero. All that is left is the air.
The US plans to cut off the head of the snake.