US Iran Peace Talks In Islamabad: Amidst the Middle East conflict, it has become a big challenge for Iran to completely open the Strait of Hormuz. According to American officials, Iran itself is not able to accurately locate the sea mines that it had laid during the war. This is why it is now becoming difficult to reopen the waterways safely.
The exact location of the mines is not known.
American officials said that Iran does not even know where all the mines were laid. Additionally, the technical capacity to remove them is also limited. This has become the biggest problem facing Iran. This problem started last month, when after the war with America and Israel, Iran started laying mines in this strait through small boats.
On March 2, a senior official of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) declared the strait closed and warned that ships coming through it would be burned. After this, shipping was affected globally and oil prices soared.
The situation worsened after laying mines
After the laying of mines, there was a huge decline in the movement of tankers. At the same time, the threat of drone and missile attacks from Iran also increased, due to which maritime traffic was further affected. This definitely gave Iran a strategic edge during the war. According to US officials, the mines were laid haphazardly and their locations may not have been properly recorded. Some mines may have been washed away from their place, making them more difficult to find and remove.
Limited route opened, ships passing by paying toll
Iran has kept a narrow passage open through which ships can pass by paying toll. The IRGC has also warned ships about the danger of mines and issued maps of some safe routes, although these routes are limited. US President Donald Trump has linked the complete and safe opening of the strait to a possible two-week ceasefire. He said that it is necessary to open the waterways completely immediately and safely.
Iran also accepted technical limitations
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the strait will be opened keeping in mind the technical limitations. According to US officials, this statement acknowledges the problem related to mines. This issue may come up prominently in the peace talks to be held in Islamabad today. About 70-member Iranian delegation, led by Abbas Araghchi, will meet US Vice President JD Vance. According to experts, removing mines is much more difficult than laying them. The American Army also uses special ships for this. Iran does not have such advanced capability that it can remove mines rapidly.
Iran still has a large fleet of small ships
Many of Iran’s naval bases and ships have been damaged in American attacks, but it still has hundreds of small ships, which are capable of laying mines or harassing ships again. Due to mines being laid through small boats, even America does not have clear information as to how many mines were laid and where they are present now. This is the reason why this crisis is becoming more complex.