US Officials Say Strait of Hormuz Still Closed; Iran Forgot Where Mines Are Placed
The Strait of Hormuz has not fully reopened because Iran forgot where it laid some of the mines in the waterway. Speaking on condition of anonymity, U.S. officials told The New York Times these mines were the reason the…
The Strait of Hormuz has not fully reopened because Iran forgot where it laid some of the Mines in the waterway.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, U.S. officials told The New York Times these Mines were the reason the strait remained mostly closed.
“Those routes are limited in large part because Iran mined the strait haphazardly, U.S. officials said,” according to The Times. “It is not clear that Iran recorded where it put every mine.
“And even when the location was recorded, some Mines were placed in a way that allowed them to drift or move, according to the officials.”
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced the U.S. and Iran had agreed to a two-week ceasefire in the war that started Feb. 28.
As part of the deal, Trump said Iran had agreed to reopen the strait.
The strait remains mostly closed after Iran said the ceasefire included a pause on Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, which was still ongoing.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who mediated talks between the U.S. and Iran, said that a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon was part of the arrangement.
Trump was told Lebanon was included in the agreement, according to CBS News, which reported that the president subsequently reversed himself after a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Last month, The Times cited anonymous U.S. officials who said that Iran had mined the strait.
“If Iran has put out any Mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY!” Trump said in March.
About 20% of the world’s Oil flows through the strait.