Quoting two US officials, Reuters news agency reports that the Iranian military loaded naval mines onto vessels in the Gulf some time after Israel launched its initial missile attack against Iran on June 13, reports Al Jazeera.
The loading of the mines, which have not been deployed in the strait, suggests that Tehran may have been serious about closing one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, a move that would have escalated an already-spiralling conflict and severely hobbled global commerce.
About one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and a blockage would likely have spiked world energy prices.
The report also said it wasn’t clear if the mines have since been unloaded. The sources did not disclose how the US determined that the mines had been put on the Iranian vessels, but such intelligence is typically gathered through satellite imagery, clandestine human sources or a combination of both methods.
The two officials said the US government has not ruled out the possibility that loading the mines was a ruse. The Iranians could have prepared the mines to convince the US that Tehran was serious about closing the strait, but without intending to do so, the officials said.
Iran’s military could have also simply been making necessary preparations in the event that Iran’s leaders gave the order, they said.
Bd-pratidin English/TR
