Hogseth draws a red line: if Iran places mines in the Strait of Hormuz, it will be considered a breach of the ceasefire agreement.

Golden Finance reports that U.S. Secretary of Defense Hagel has warned that any further laying of mines by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz would constitute a violation of the ceasefire. The core challenge facing the United States is that Iran heavily relies on small fast attack boats, which are very easy to blend in with civilian ships and fishing vessels. Iran possesses hundreds of highly maneuverable, low-observable vessels capable of conducting operations from coastal areas, islands, and hidden bases. These ships deploy mines using simple onboard equipment such as small cranes, often operating under cover of night or in coordinated swarms to evade surveillance systems. Therefore, it is extremely difficult for the U.S. side to detect and confirm whether Iran is still actively laying mines. The total number of mines already laid is also highly uncertain; even Iran itself may not have a complete grasp of the exact locations and quantities of all the mines.