The U.S. says it cleared all sea mines from the Strait of Hormuz. Iran disputes the claim.
CENTCOM says U.S. forces cleared Iranian sea mines from the Strait of Hormuz's international shipping lanes. Iran's deputy foreign minister rejected the claim as unverified propaganda. Per CENTCOM, Axios, UPI.
President Trump said on August 25, 2026 that the U.S. Navy had removed or detonated all mines from the international waters of the Strait of Hormuz. Two days later, CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper confirmed in a video statement that U.S. forces had cleared sea mines from the strait's international shipping lanes that Iran's Revolutionary Guard had planted months earlier. Over the past several months, U.S. Navy underwater drones located more than 100 suspected mines in the strait's median lane, which were then removed or detonated by contracted private companies. Daily crossings of the strait had fallen from about 140 ships a day before the war to only a handful during it, according to U.S. officials. In the last 30 days, more than 500 ships crossed through the strait's southern lane, with about 2% hit by Iranian drones or missiles. Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, rejected the U.S. claim, saying only Iran knows where the mines are and calling the announcement propaganda meant to calm energy markets. UPI reports the U.S. claim could not be independently verified.