Iran claims new naval mines laid in Strait of Hormuz

Iran claimed Thursday that it laid additional naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, while mockingly dismissing US claims of control over the strategic passage.

"During last night's operation, more naval mines were laid along the illicit routes south of the Strait of Hormuz," Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, wrote on US social media company X.

Zolfaghari mocked US President Donald Trump's suggestion to rename the waterway "Trump Strait," claiming the only action that the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees military operations in the Middle East, could manage in response was to "rename the Strait using Photoshop." He joked that Washington could likewise "use Photoshop to get the oil tankers through" the passage.

The remarks came amid a sharp dispute between Washington and Tehran. CENTCOM previously declared that all sea mines had been cleared from the transit routes, and rejected reports of tankers hitting mines as disinformation. Trump recently said that all mines had been removed from the strait, and warned of a "zero tolerance policy" on new mine placement.

Tehran maintains deliberate opacity regarding the minefields, asserting that only Iranian forces know their exact locations.

The number of mines newly deployed during the overnight operation remains unknown.