According to two US officials, the Iranian military placed naval mines on ships in the Persian Gulf last month, escalating Washington’s fears that Tehran was preparing to shut the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli strikes on locations throughout Iran.
According to the sources, who asked to remain anonymous in order to discuss sensitive intelligence issues, the previously undisclosed preparations were discovered by US intelligence some time after Israel launched its first missile attack against Iran on June 13.
The mines have not yet been set in the strait, but their loading raises the possibility that Tehran was serious about blocking one of the most important shipping routes in the world. This action would have significantly hampered international trade and intensified an already escalating crisis.
