The US military has cleared Iranian sea mines from international shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, it announced in a video update.

According to CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper, the mines had been laid months ago by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

"Internationally recognized transit routes in the Strait are free of Iranian sea mines thanks to the incredible work of the US military," Cooper said.

"These are the longstanding lanes international shipping has historically used to transit the Strait, and over the past few months our forces meticulously and quietly cleared them of a combination of Navy divers, Navy SEALs, and US air power from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps."

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most critical chokepoints for seaborne oil trade, with roughly a fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption typically passing through it, so mining activity there directly affects tanker routing, insurance costs, and freight rates for the industry. Mine clearance in the internationally recognized transit lanes reduces one specific hazard flagged by the US, though the broader threat environment for commercial shipping in the region has remained elevated during recent periods of escalation between Iran, Israel, and the United States.

Cooper also said that US forces have assisted more than 1,500 commercial vessels transiting the waterway in recent months, with those ships carrying nearly 750 million barrels of crude oil to global markets.

Whether the clearance is sustained will depend on the absence of new mining activity, and shipping interests will be watching for further CENTCOM updates and any Iranian response as regional tensions continue.

Source: Ship & Bunker (Image Credit: CENTCOM)