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News & Current Events Apr 25, 2026 at 6:28 PM

US says it's hunting for explosive mines in latest push to open the Strait of Hormuz

Posted by markosmaged


US says it's hunting for explosive mines in latest push to open the Strait of Hormuz
AP News
US says it's hunting for explosive mines in latest push to open the Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump says the U.S. Navy is clearing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz. The vital sea route for Persian Gulf oil is closed to most ships, and that's a strain on the global economy.

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yawara25 20 hr ago +493
Great... Now how much of my tax money is being spent on this operation that was completely avoidable in the first place?
493
Barnezhilton 19 hr ago +172
You'll never know since Congress was not involved
172
thepianoman456 19 hr ago +55
They eventually got involved… and I think supported the war by like 1 vote or something. Either way it does feel like our congress is completely neutered, and the Supreme Court is openly corrupt. I hope Republicans get DESTROYED in midterms. Every time they hold the reins they burn everything down, just to enrich like 100 already rich dudes.
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oatmealparty 18 hr ago +43
No, congress still hasn't authorized the war. They've held several votes to deny authorization, but all have failed so far. By law, Trump has to get authorization by I think April 28, so three more days basically. And then he has to start winding down operations and be done within another 30 days. I really wonder if Congress will ever hold an actual vote, or if Trump will respect the law (very doubtful). I think it's more likely they'll do what they did with tariffs and just ignore the law and constitution completely and allow him to do whatever he wants.
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Beard_o_Bees 18 hr ago +20
> Trump will respect the law Laws are for poor people.
20
dirtypeachpitt 17 hr ago +1
How’d you come up with that date. I feel like this is the first instance I’ve heard about such a thing.
1
oatmealparty 17 hr ago +17
When congress passed the War Powers Act it allowed the president to basically start a war without approval of congress as required by the constitution. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Powers_Resolution >The War Powers Resolution requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military action and **forbids armed forces from remaining for more than 60 days, with a further 30-day withdrawal period**, without congressional authorization for use of military force (AUMF) or a declaration of war by the United States. Bombing started on Feb 28, so 60 days later puts us at April 27 or 28, I'm not sure if the day it started counts.
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dirtypeachpitt 17 hr ago +7
Can they just transition from Epic Fury to some other name and objective.
7
zodiacalcheese 15 hr ago +3
Can they? No. Will they? Yes.
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dirtypeachpitt 13 hr ago +1
They could just sit idly by and act defensively, right?
1
Blueopus2 12 hr ago +3
Epic Fuckup
3
Consistent-Throat130 14 hr ago
Eh you can drop the "in the midterms" bit. You don't just hope for a cancer to go into a short lived remission...
0
kstargate-425 18 hr ago +12
Dont worry, they aren't really doing this as they still are afraid to get near the Strait where the mines would be
12
Coulrophiliac444 19 hr ago +6
The same amount or more than the amount wasted when they decided to go for their favorite type of mine, the Coal Mine.
6
BoredNuke 17 hr ago +1
Literally all of it. Plus the next generations taxes too.
1
PatchyWhiskers 16 hr ago +1
Let’s lower taxes for billionaires and let future generations pay for it.
1
BoxCarTyrone 14 hr ago +1
Your tax money is going in pockets, not towards this.
1
lodelljax 12 hr ago +1
Just the health for all amount.
1
BWWFC 20 hr ago +39
the rest of the article is interesting but mostly the details "what/why/how" for the task of clearing mines: >Insurers are adding a clause that requires ship owners to contact Iranian authorities to ensure safe passage, said Dylan Mortimer, U.K. marine war leader for insurance broker Marsh. >That certification does not mention mines specifically and is intended to protect against the entire spectrum of threats, including missile and drone attacks or seizures, Mortimer said. >But mines do, at the very least, play a psychological role, a phenomenon Mortimer called the “specter of threat.” >“That plays in the Iranians’ favor, because whether there are mines there or not, people think there’s mines there and they will operate accordingly,” Mortimer said.
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dontrike 20 hr ago +161
Now they want to open it? Just last week Trump said he was going to close it even harder than it already was. He literally has no idea what he's doing.
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rexspook 20 hr ago +68
Their stance on open/closed is entirely dependent on their stock market position
68
Colonel-Mooseknuckle 20 hr ago +26
Remember back in the day...around two weeks ago, when we didn't need the Strait at all? It was right after we won 10 times and obliterated everything.
26
ry-yo 20 hr ago +14
every day it switches from being closed to open like a pendulum
14
ExtensionParsley4205 20 hr ago +4
Snip snap snip snap
4
JebryathHS 18 hr ago +1
You have NO IDEA the physical toll that three vasectomies has on a person!
1
Lirael_Gold 18 hr ago +3
The strait is open whenever it's not being directly observed. Schrodinger's Strait.
3
kinglouie493 20 hr ago +5
It's the weekend brother, Monday is an all new week
5
_PROBABLY_CORRECT 18 hr ago +3
and the stock market has amnesia every week
3
fxkatt 20 hr ago +2
Imagine Iran, which has seen most of its leadership decimated by Israel , having to deal with this blowhard's chaotic signals.
2
Aelig_ 19 hr ago +2
Mines or not, it's not up to the US. There's a reason the US doesn't send their ships in the strait.
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BungeeGump 19 hr ago +3
Reminds me of that song from Ms Rachel. 🎶Open shut them, open shut them. Give a little clap, clap, clap.🎵
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ConsciousSkyy 19 hr ago +1
Trump and his cronies don’t want this war resolved any time soon because they have a LOT of friends in the US oil industry that are profiting big time
1
FeeHot5876 20 hr ago -8
The US has always ever been blocking Iranian ships, they’ve always wanted it open to everyone else
-8
calmdownmyguy 19 hr ago +8
That's probably why trump keeps talking about how he shut it down completely..
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FeeHot5876 19 hr ago -1
I mean I learned a long time ago to believe what actually is happening vs what he says.
-1
calmdownmyguy 19 hr ago +3
What's actually happening?
3
FeeHot5876 19 hr ago -2
The US is stopping ships only going to or from Iran, as CENTCOM the group in charge of the blockade has said, as has many ship tracking websites confirmed. Iran is letting vessels that pay a toll through as well but not many
-2
jarena009 20 hr ago +43
Our ships are absolutely not in the Strait of Hormuz doing any mine clearing.
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uwotm8_8 18 hr ago +21
Blockade is miles away because they are afraid of losing a ship to ballistic missiles but somehow they are also clearing mines right now? Lmfao there is no end to the lies.
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Lirael_Gold 18 hr ago +2
Somewhere Paul Van Riper is laughing his ass off (yes I know the Millenium Challenge was a deeply flawed exercise and Van Riper intentionally broke all the rules, but his reason for breaking the exercise seems to have been vindicated after 24 years)
2
Remote-Letterhead844 20 hr ago +50
Where are our minesweepers? Probably still in dry dock Alabama. All he does is lie
50
topscreen 20 hr ago +44
Funny story about that, some of the last minesweepers in the Navy were decommissioned last year
44
Remote-Letterhead844 20 hr ago +17
Christ on a c******, mate
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cplforlife 19 hr ago +6
Canada cant help. We're actively decomissioning our MCDVs. (They were shit at it anyway).
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TheGreatGamer1389 15 hr ago +1
🤦‍♂️
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FeeHot5876 20 hr ago +10
LCSs do mine sweepin in CENTCOM
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diezel_dave 20 hr ago +29
Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once. 
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SpiderSlitScrotums 20 hr ago +13
It’s a funny joke, but it isn’t actually true. Modern mines can have counters so that they don’t explode on the first ship that would trigger them. This reduces the confidence of any sea lane and creates worries that mines could still remain.
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diezel_dave 20 hr ago -12
The types of mines Iran has been using look like something that someone made in their garden shed. Maybe they have "advanced" technology like that, but I wouldn't be surprised if they just explode on first contact. 
-12
SpiderSlitScrotums 19 hr ago +16
Earlier reports indicated Iran was using limpet mines, including the [Maham-7](https://cat-uxo.com/explosive-hazards/naval-devices/maham-7-limpet-mine). These are certainly not something that is built in a garden shed. I know people joke about the casters on the bottom, but this is actually a common thing. It looks stupid to have a big mine with wheels like on an office chair, but this type of tech has been used at least since WW2 to deploy mines.
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FeeHot5876 19 hr ago +1
The issue with what you’re saying is limpet mines don’t float, they are installed usually by divers on the underside of a ship, Iran isn’t just dropping limpets in the strait, they’d sink right to the bottom
1
SpiderSlitScrotums 18 hr ago +1
After rewatching a video on it, I think they are just shallow influence mines. There are articles calling it “limpet-style”, but I’m not sure what that means, as limpet mines mean they attach magnetically. Here is the video that talks about how various types of mines, including this one, actually work: https://youtu.be/TMXSDUj-dms Edit: I added clarification and removed claim that they rise
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stohelitstorytelling 19 hr ago +4
Glad to have your uninformed opinion based on nothing
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diezel_dave 19 hr ago -7
And the claim that they are using mines that count ships is based on what exactly? 
-7
Nuke_Skywalker 18 hr ago +5
The engineering behind it isn't at all complicated. It can be as simple as whatever your detector is ratcheting a gear instead of instantly detonating.
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SpiderSlitScrotums 18 hr ago +1
Here is a video that analyzes Iran’s mines and potential techniques: https://youtu.be/TMXSDUj-dms It won’t be possible to know if they use counters for sure unless a mine is recovered. But the technique is old (at least WW2, if not earlier).
1
kstargate-425 18 hr ago +1
This had me laughing more than it should 😂
1
Lucius-Halthier 20 hr ago +5
He’s dumb enough to use normal ships as the body shield
5
War_machine77 19 hr ago +2
He going to get maga hillbillies to run the "trump flotilla" through the straight.
2
RespectTheTree 18 hr ago +5
Please, send them all.
5
Remote-Letterhead844 18 hr ago +1
💶 I'll pay their Aya(toll)ah to get there 💶  .....sorry
1
thepvbrother 19 hr ago
An article i saw said minesweeping drones are being used. I'm guessing that doesn't actually exist, that they're regular drones.
0
kstargate-425 18 hr ago +2
Talk about using a needle to find a needle in a haystack. Well by the time the new Ayatollah died of old age they may have finally cleared the Strait. It also cant really be USV drones as they have range limits and any "mothership" are far away from the Strait right now
2
GL2U22 20 hr ago +10
If we want the Strait of Hormuz to be open with no mines, then maybe Hermoine can let us borrow her f****** Time Turner and we can go back to before the narcissistic orange fuckwit of a toddler started this war?
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DepartmentOfJustAss 20 hr ago +20
I thought he was blockading it. I can't keep up...
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nobackup42 20 hr ago +9
Explosive mines. Are there other types ?
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SardonicusNox 20 hr ago +9
Mineral mines. 
9
un-natural 20 hr ago +9
The Mines of ~~Hor~~Moria
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Stray_Neutrino 20 hr ago +2
What’s yours is mines and what’s mines is mines.
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keskeskes1066 18 hr ago +2
Coal mines, uranium mines, salt mines and all the remaining chicken wings are mines.
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Communism 20 hr ago +1
Enemy mine
1
Really_McNamington 19 hr ago +1
Mine host.
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Privateer_Lev_Arris 19 hr ago +1
Non explosive ones.
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BigBToke1 20 hr ago +7
They are not in the strait looking for mines lol. Another lie
7
casewood123 20 hr ago +6
I stopped believing anything that comes out of our government.
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AyTito 20 hr ago +5
Iran is letting friendly ships through, but US/Trump admin sources say it's mined. Mines were just one possible issue, the threat of anti-ship missiles or airborne drones are what's been keeping the strait closed.
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prancing_moose 18 hr ago +6
So where are those Epstein files again?
6
CapitanianExtinction 20 hr ago +14
How can an enemy military that's 100% destroyed lay any mines in the strait?
14
Really_McNamington 19 hr ago +5
Schrödinger's military. *Or*, [the enemy is both weak and strong](https://www.openculture.com/2024/11/umberto-ecos-list-of-the-14-common-features-of-fascism.html).
5
Quattuor 19 hr ago +6
This isbullshit and they are lying, because Iran does not have to use mines to keep the straight blocked/closed, just by the threat of hitting the passing ship by a drone or a rocket.
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ohiotechie 20 hr ago +10
That probably would have been a lot easier if they hadn’t decided to scrap the mine sweepers that we used to have specifically for this job.
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Blubbolo 20 hr ago +9
Mines aren't the biggest problem, if Iran says its closed, it is closed. Get the pedophile and his Israeli operative-in law away and send someone to actually talk.
9
cyrixlord 19 hr ago +4
wait, saying 'explosive mines' implies there are non-explosive ones? are there non-explosive sea mines?
4
RespectTheTree 18 hr ago +6
Stern-warning mines
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International_Goat31 17 hr ago +4
You mean the strait that was already open and flowing just fine before the US did all of this? Why isn't the entirety of the US populace on strike? Their tax money is being used for this and the prices for everything are going up as a result of it. They should be outraged.
4
Chav 14 hr ago +3
Setup for the announcement that the strait is open for Monday trading before it's closed after a ship hits a mine.
3
hamiltok7 19 hr ago +2
I thought everything was obliterated and the war was won. How is this possible?
2
SomewhatInnocuous 19 hr ago +2
Good thing they are not hunting for angry mimes there. You never know just what's next for the drunken department of war.
2
ynotoggel19 16 hr ago +2
It's a delaying tactic until all your rich friends can liquefy some assets so they can plunge the stock markets after you make your announcement
2
outerproduct 19 hr ago +3
Or we could just leave, and do nothing and stop wasting money on old man dementia's latest boondoggle.
3
Really_McNamington 19 hr ago +1
You're not getting out of it that easily now. Iran will want reparations before they back down.
1
outerproduct 18 hr ago +3
Well of course, it would still be cheaper than burning hundreds of millions a day.
3
Scary-General4772 20 hr ago +2
How the US can't even sail it's ships into the Strait without being attacked
2
vulcan7200 19 hr ago +2
This is likely just more market manipulation. Mines are not the only worry. They are A worry for sure, but even if the US could guarantee 100% there are no mines in the Strait (which they can't), Iran can still attack ships going through the Strait with rockets and drones. As long as Iran is saying ships can not cross without their say so, ships can not cross as the US is simply not capable of stopping Iran from attacking said ships. The US knows this, and so them trying to assure people that they're getting rid of the mines is just them trying to manipulate the market.
2
RobertLeeSwagger 19 hr ago +1
I thought we had no intention of opening it and Trump isn’t in a rush, though?
1
Sweatytubesock 18 hr ago +1
I thought the Strait was open? Or wait, it’s closed today, right? Is there a Strait tracker app?
1
Oniriggers 18 hr ago +1
How well mined was the Strait before ~~President Trump~~ Israel started this war?
1
GetsBetterAfterAFew 18 hr ago +1
Oceanian was always at war with Eastasia and allied with Eurasia. Oceanian was always at war with Eurasisa and allied with Eastasia. I dont belive a f****** word from this administration and military.
1
rddman 18 hr ago +1
> explosive mines Is that like 'illegal criminals' - just adding superlatives to make it seem worse than it already is?
1
jonnyrottwn 18 hr ago +1
How can they hunt mines when they haven't any ships in the strait? Am I missing something?
1
No-Tomatillo-7566 17 hr ago +1
This is like the old joke about someone looking for a lost wallet under a streetlight because the lighting is better there. We don't have any ships in the strait because they'd be sitting ducks for Iranian drones and missles.
1
Weird_Rooster_4307 17 hr ago +1
Lolol good luck. That area is so diverse that as you find them, new ones are being placed. It would be the tail of playing cat and mouse
1
Whats-Upvote 17 hr ago +1
I thought they were blockading it?
1
Antagonist007 16 hr ago +1
Explosive mines, are there any other kind?
1
cyberentomology 16 hr ago +2
Bitcoin mines, minecraft mines, with this administration, who the hell knows?
2
Donkey_Doody 12 hr ago +1
Gold mines
1
cyberentomology 16 hr ago +1
Bet that would have been a lot easier if they had purpose-built ships.
1
VaguelyArtistic 15 hr ago +1
So we’re definitely dropping mines, right?
1
Whargod 15 hr ago +1
Wait, they want to open it? What the f*** is actually going on?
1
LibertineLibra 14 hr ago +1
Shhhhh! Be vewee, vewee quiet. We're hunting a wascally wab.. Wait no! uh.. mines. We're a hunting mines unda dawadda.
1
Hoodamush 14 hr ago +1
Should be an easy task for the almighty Trump
1
CobraPony67 14 hr ago +1
Didn't a bunch of ships go through the strait without issue? Maybe they know where the mines are and where they aren't? Maybe follow their route? Seems fishy.
1
YallRedditForThis 13 hr ago +1
Maybe there's no mines & they're just f****** with America wasting their time
1
MadRoboticist 12 hr ago +1
Guess it won't be open anytime soon then since the Pentagon apparently just informed Congress that it might take 6 months to fully clear the mines.
1
FunLife64 11 hr ago +1
The strait could be 100% free of mines but that doesn’t mean it would open. Iran has shown it can control it if it wants to at this point, as ships are not going to risk it.
1
Raaka-Kake 10 hr ago +1
What’s the insurance underwriters policy when the claims from small arms shooting start?
1
WorkerWonderful3900 10 hr ago +1
They're hunting for mines outside the Strait because they won't go in.
1
3p2p 5 hr ago +1
Hormuz isn’t open because insurance companies wont cover transit and are charging too much. It was closed well before any mines. If shop do transit they’ll be adding those costs to us. The next few years are going to be tough
1
shitshort 19 hr ago
I have never learnt this much about this damn strait of hormuz in my life and I had no freaking idea this even existed in the first place lol.
0
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