U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on the evening of Thursday, August 27 (U.S. Eastern Time), that U.S. forces had successfully cleared mines from the international shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz and declared the waterway open once again.
In a video update released by CENTCOM, U.S. Navy Admiral Brad Cooper stated: “We have successfully cleared mines that the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had laid in the strait’s international shipping lanes months ago. Thanks to the outstanding work of U.S. forces, the internationally recognized shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz are no longer threatened by Iranian mines.”
Cooper noted that approximately 50,000 U.S. military personnel are currently carrying out missions in the Middle East. Over the past few months, the U.S. deployed Navy divers, Navy SEALs, and aviation assets from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps to clear the shipping lanes “meticulously and quietly.” He described the situation at the time as extremely critical and dangerous.