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U.S. commander declares Hormuz shipping lanes are mine-free
Allies are privately cautious, however
Admiral Brad Cooper. (Win McNamee/Getty Images North America via Bloomberg)
Key Takeaways:
- U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper said Aug. 27 that American forces cleared Iranian mines from international shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz.
- The claim matters because allies privately questioned whether all estimated mines had been removed and shipping remains constrained by security risks.
- The U.S. says shipping lanes are open and oil flows are increasing, while Iran continues talks and asserts control over the strait.
The top U.S. commander for the Middle East said that American forces have cleared Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz, after Washington’s allies expressed doubts about similar claims by President Donald Trump.
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, said in the 3½-minute video released Aug. 27 that “over the past few months, our forces meticulously and quietly” cleared the international shipping lanes of mines. The work was carried out by Navy divers and SEALs, as well as aircraft.
“The circumstances were challenging and dangerous, to say the least, but we got the job done,” Cooper added in the video, which included a detailed map and a diagram. “Bottom line, today, international shipping lanes are open and momentum is building.”
U.S. allies, however, have privately warned that the strait, a key thoroughfare for Middle East oil, natural gas and fertilizer, was still likely mined. The dangers posed by mines and attacks on commercial vessels have severely curtailed shipping in the strait since the U.S. and Israel began the war with Iran in late February.
The U.S. is likely to have made some progress, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because they were discussing internal assessments. But they believe that operations haven’t cleared all of the estimated 80 to 150 mines laid by the Iranians.
American officials rejected that assessment. One person familiar with the U.S. position, who also asked not to be named, said those figures were outdated.
Update from CENTCOM Commander: pic.twitter.com/osPbltjJ1C — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 28, 2026
On Aug. 26, Trump called Hormuz — which links the Persian Gulf to global markets — “a very functioning strait,” while repeating his claim that no mines remained.
Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. had guided 130 million barrels of oil out through Hormuz over the past 14 days, according to a post on X. Bessent is leading an effort to try to isolate Iran’s economy with a wave of sanctions and curbs in a bid to force Tehran’s capitulation.
The Islamic Republic has insisted throughout the conflict it controls the strait, and the status of the waterway has been a key sticking point in on-off talks with the U.S. Earlier this week, Iran’s military said it reached a revenue-sharing deal on Hormuz with Oman, which sits along the artery’s southern edge.
