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The USS Rafael Peralta intercepted an \u2018Iranian-flagged ship\u2019 on April 24 when it was trying to sail to a port in Iran. u.s. centcom (X)<\/p>\nDonald Trump says the US Navy is clearing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz, a vital sea route for oil shipments whose disruption is increasingly threatening the global economy, AP reported.<\/p>\n
The USS Rafael Peralta intercepted an \u2018Iranian-flagged ship\u2019 on April 24 when it was trying to sail to a port in Iran. u.s. centcom (X)<\/p>\n
Sweeping for underwater explosives could take months despite a ceasefire between the US and Iran, experts say. Any future claims that the US cleared the waterway where 20% of the world\u2019s oil typically passes might fail to convince commercial freighters and their insurers that it is finally safe.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t even have to have lain mines \u2014 you just have to make people believe that you\u2019ve laid mines,\u201d said Emma Salisbury, a scholar at the Foreign Policy Research Institute\u2019s National Security Program.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd even if the US sweeps the strait and says everything\u2019s clear, all the Iranians have to do is say, \u2018Well, actually, you haven\u2019t found them all yet,\u2019\u201d said Salisbury, who is also a fellow at the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre.<\/p>\n
Seeking out mines is one of the latest tactics announced by the Trump<\/a> administration to get traffic moving again through the strait as rising energy prices and wider economic effects pose a political risk.<\/p>\n Pentagon <\/a>officials told lawmakers it would likely take six months to clear the mines that Iran has set in the strait, according a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive information. The information was delivered during a classified briefing at the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.<\/p>\n