Iran’s biggest card: Country possesses weapons capable of causing chaos in Strait of Hormuz
Illustrative photo: any vessel can deploy mines (Getty Images)
Iran has not yet played its main card, which refers to a full-scale mining of the Strait of Hormuz — an action capable of causing chaos in the global economy and halting oil exports, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Experts consider naval mines Tehran’s most dangerous tool. According to reports, Iran has already begun mining the Strait of Hormuz — a strategic waterway through which most Middle Eastern oil and liquefied natural gas pass.
So far, only about a dozen mines have been recorded, but the potential of this weapon is enormous. Mines are an ideal instrument of asymmetric warfare: even when conventional military capabilities are neutralized, mines allow the adversary to remain under constant threat.
The main danger lies in the simplicity of using this weapon. Iran does not need large ships to deploy mines — divers can do the job from ordinary fishing vessels. Tehran’s arsenal includes both drifting mines and those anchored to the seabed at specific depths, remaining undetectable to tankers.
Although demining methods exist, shipping through the strait becomes highly risky without a military escort. Even convoys, however, cannot guarantee 100% safety.
History already knows similar incidents in the region: in the 1980s, during the Iran–Iraq War, the US Navy tried to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz. At that time, a US frigate hit an Iranian mine, triggering a major military crisis.
Blockade of the Strait of Hormuz
Following rumors in the media that Iran had mined the Strait of Hormuz, Washington reacted sharply. US President Donald Trump warned of serious consequences for Tehran if the reports were true.
Iran’s blockade of the Strait has already reduced maritime traffic by 70% and caused a shortage of sulfur—a key raw material for fertilizers, microchips, and metallurgy. In other words, the disruption affects not only oil supplies.
For more details on the Strait of Hormuz and its importance to the global economy, see the report by RBC-Ukraine.
