🚨 Breaking News : IRAN LAYS MINES IN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ — U.S. MILITARY STRIKES BACK, DESTROYS 16 IRANIAN MINELAYING VESSELS
Iran has begun laying naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical oil chokepoint, in a dramatic escalation that is sending shockwaves through global energy markets and triggering a direct U.S. military response.
According to two sources familiar with U.S. intelligence reporting, a few dozen mines have already been laid in recent days. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps retains 80 to 90% of its minelaying fleet, meaning it could feasibly deploy hundreds more.
Iran is using small crafts, each carrying two to three mines, to deploy them into the strait. While Iran’s total mine stockpile is not publicly confirmed, U.S. estimates have ranged from 2,000 to 6,000 naval mines, largely produced by Iran, China, or Russia.
President Trump posted on Truth Social demanding the mines be removed “IMMEDIATELY,” warning that military consequences would come “at a level never before seen.” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that U.S. Central Command had been striking Iranian minelaying vessels with ruthless precision. CENTCOM subsequently confirmed it destroyed multiple Iranian naval ships, including 16 minelayers.
Oil prices swung violently, fluctuating between over $90 and under $80 per barrel in a single day. Nearly 15 million barrels per day of crude production, plus another 4.5 million in refined fuels, are now effectively stranded in the Persian Gulf, with countries like Iraq and Kuwait having no alternative shipping route.
The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively shut since the start of the conflict, with tankers unable to sail for over a week and producers halting pumping as storage fills to capacity.
This is a rapidly developing situation with major consequences for global energy supply and international security. Stay tuned for updates.
📌 Sources: CNN, CBS News, Bloomberg, Fortune, The Jerusalem Post. March 10, 2026.