MOSCOW, March 12. /TASS/. Assessing the possibility of Iran mining the Strait of Hormuz; US President Donald Trump's decision to launch joint strikes with Israel against Iran has voters at home baffled; and the Iran conflict sends Washington’s national debt surging. These stories topped Thursday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Iran is capable of mining the Strait of Hormuz even if its fleet is destroyed, as Iranian servicemen could use high-speed boats, civilian vessels, aircraft, and multiple launch rocket systems to lay sea mines. If Tehran wants to cause havoc on the global oil market, mining will accomplish that aim. Iran doesn’t even need to carry out a large-scale deployment of munitions in the strait's waters to create chaos, simply saying that it has already been mined will be enough to upend markets.
Having a large number of different types of sea mines at its disposal, Iran has the capability to seriously complicate shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Rear Admiral Mikhail Chekmasov told Izvestia. Even a small number of mines can pose a serious threat to both military and civilian ships, the defense official emphasized.
Virtually any civilian vessel, even fishing boats, can be used for mining, military expert Dmitry Boltenkov noted. According to him, Iran also has multiple launch rocket systems with sea mines, which can set up barriers in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz while positioned miles away.
