The four-month operation in the Strait of Hormuz was allegedly conducted mainly at night to clear mines from the strategic passage. Special forces divers from the U.S. Navy, along with robotic boats and specialized underwater vehicles, were used in the operation.
The divers reportedly worked in small teams aboard floating vessels with inflatable sides. Robotic boats and underwater vehicles carrying towed sonar arrays were used to locate the mines.
Divers used to destroy mines
Divers were able to enter the water and place explosives to destroy the mines that had been detected, while underwater robots were used in some cases. No U.S. military personnel were allegedly killed in connection with the mine-clearing operation.
The operation was conducted while military tensions continued in the Strait of Hormuz.
Conflicting statements on control of the strait
Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, announced that the Strait of Hormuz had been successfully cleared of mines. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that the strait was under Iran's complete control and that no vessel could pass without government permission.
Tensions rose after it was announced on July 8 that the ceasefire reached with Iran on the night of June 18 was no longer in effect. U.S. forces carried out attacks on Iran, and Washington justified the actions as a response to attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran also carried out attacks on some U.S. bases in the Middle East, closed the Strait of Hormuz and accused Washington of violating the agreement to end the fighting.
