U.S. says Iranian mines cleared from Strait of Hormuz transit routes

The U.S. military said that it has cleared all Iranian sea mines along internationally recognized transit routes in the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. Central Command (Centcom) Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said on X that “the U.S. military has achieved a major milestone in the Strait of Hormuz.”

“We have successfully cleared sea mines in the strait’s international shipping lanes that were laid months ago by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Internationally recognized transit routes in the strait are free of Iranian sea mines, thanks to the incredible work of the U.S. military,” Cooper said.

Traffic in the strait, a key waterway for the oil industry, has been severely restricted during the nearly six-month war against Iran, causing elevated oil and gas prices.

The Hill reported, citing AAA data, that the average price of a regular gallon of gas in the U.S. was about $4.10 late Thursday, up from about $3.21 the year prior.

On Monday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issued a global warning for countries to drop all financial ties with Iran or risk being barred from the U.S. dollar system, kicking off an economic pressure campaign against Tehran.

The campaign, named “Operation Economic Outcast,” has been promoted as a financial “D-Day” akin to the American invasion of Normandy in World War II.