Reuters: U.S. officials say Iran was prepared to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Gate News bot and reports from Reuters, two U.S. officials stated that the Iranian military loaded mines onto ships in the Persian Gulf last month, a move that has heightened Washington’s concerns that Tehran is intensifying its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following Israeli attacks across Iran. These previously unreported preparations were discovered by U.S. intelligence agencies, occurring shortly after Israel’s first missile strike against Iran on June 13. Due to the sensitive nature of the intelligence issues being discussed, these officials requested anonymity.

These mines have not been deployed in the strait, indicating that Tehran may indeed intend to close one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, a move that would further escalate the already intensifying conflict and severely disrupt global trade.

About one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas transportation passes through the Strait of Hormuz. If the strait is blocked, global energy prices could skyrocket. Since the U.S. attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities, global benchmark oil prices have actually fallen by more than 10%, partly because all parties are relieved that the conflict did not lead to significant disruptions in oil trade. On June 22, shortly after the U.S. military bombed three important nuclear facilities in Iran in an attempt to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, it was reported that the Iranian parliament supported a measure to block the Strait of Hormuz. At that time, the Iranian News Channel reported that the decision was not binding, and the final decision rested with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. For years, Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, but has never actually followed through on that threat. Reuters could not determine when Iran deployed these mines during the airstrikes on Iraq. If deployed, these mines would effectively block ships from passing through this critical passage. It is currently unclear whether these mines have been removed.