MarineTraffic has posted a short clip on X showing ship/tankers currently passing through the strait of Hormuz, see below.

As can be seen, most tankers pass through the narrow strait between the islands Qeshm and Larak, close to Iran’s coast line.

So, Iran only needs to mine the larger part of the Strait of Hormuz it can easily control all traffic now between these two islands.

The New York Times reported on April 10, 2026, that Iran is unable to locate all of the naval mines it deployed in the Strait of Hormuz. According to U.S. officials, Iran placed the mines “haphazardly” using small boats and may not have kept accurate records of their coordinates.

Many mines were laid in a way that allows them to drift with currents, meaning they are no longer in their original positions. Neither Iran nor the U.S. currently possesses robust, rapid-response mine-clearing assets in the region to quickly resolve the issue. 

Neither Iran nor the U.S. currently possesses robust, rapid-response mine-clearing assets in the region to quickly resolve the issue. 

In the above tweet by President Donald Trump on TruthSocial of April 11, 2026, he seems to brag and mock the Iranians.

“The only thing they have going is the threat that a ship may “bunk” into one of their sea mines which, by the way, all 28 of their mine dropper boats are also lying at the bottom of the sea. We’re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz.”

That will not be so easy, I suppose. Does he expect shipowners to take the risk of one of their tankers “bunking” into a sea mine which might have been forgotten by Trump’s minesweepers?

And then, Iran’s 28 mine dropper boats? Lying at the bottom of the sea? I guess, Iran has thousands of them.

11 April 2026 @ 18:06 UTC+2.

Last modified April 11, 2026.