The US have destroyed ten Iranian boats planting mines across one of the most important shipping lanes in the world.

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway off Iran’s southern coast that sees around 80 oil and gas tankers pass through it every day,carrying about one-fifth of the globe’s crude oil.

Iran has long claimed it controlled the stretch of water which connects the Persian Gulf with the open waters of the Indian Ocean.

The Iranians have an estimated 5,000 mines which are cheap,easy to deploy from small boats,submarines,or even disguised civilian vessels.

Just a few dozen mines can stop shipping for weeks as minesweeping vessels have to work slowly and carefully.

Donald Trump said on Truth Social: ‘I am pleased to report that within the last few hours,we have hit,and completely destroyed,10 inactive mine laying boats and/or ships,with more to follow!’

The US President previously said: ‘If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait,and we have no reports of them doing so,we want them removed,IMMEDIATELY!

‘If for any reason mines were placed,and they are not removed forthwith,the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before.

‘If,on the other hand,they remove what may have been placed,it will be a giant step in the right direction! President DONALD J. TRUMP’

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said any Arab or European country that expels the ambassadors of Israel and the US would be given free passage through the Strait.

Iran’s boats can carry three mines at time. Sea mining,which takes effort and time to clear,has already affected the price of oil. (Picture: Andolou)

Donald Trump asked if Iran could remove any sea mines they have placed (Picture: AFP or licensors)

The Strait of Hormuz sees 20% of oil and gas shipments flow through it (Picture: Reuters)

But marine traffic has dried up since the US and Israel launched a deadly attack on Tehran,prompting Iran to attack any ships veering towards it.

Only a limited number of tankers have made it through the Hormuz,often by switching off the devices that broadcast their positions.

American intelligence has seen signs that Iran is using vessels in the Hormuz that can carry up to three naval mines,CBS News reported today.

Iran’s feared Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said last week that the Iranian navy is in full control of the strait.

What is the Strait of Hormuz?

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow 90-mile waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the open ocean. As tiny as it is,the strait is deep enough for giant oil tankers to cruise through,so is the go-to way to get fossil fuels out of the Middle East.A quarter of the world’s oil and 20% of the world’s liquefied natural gas pass through it. The oil comes from Iran,Iraq and the United Arab Emirates,among other Gulf states.Iran exports about 1.7 million barrels per day,according to US figures.A satellite map shows how shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has effectively stopped (Picture: Marine Traffic)Closing the artery would be a tall order for Iran,as it would require a constant military presence.Experts say that while Iran could mine the strait using stealthy attack boats and submarines,large military ships would make easy targets for the US.So instead of building a physical blockage or mining the bottleneck,it’s instead carried out strikes nearby for a rather simple reason.

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By doing so,spooked insurers have upped their prices and refuse to underwrite ships,so companies aren’t risking the trip while uninsured.

And it’s working. About 3,200 ships,or 4% of global ship tonnage,are idle in the Gulf,shipping data tracker Clarksons Research has found.

Analysts warn that the conflict could impact oil and gas prices across the world and increase inflation. The longer the war drags on,the less oil and gas there is out in the world.

US officials are now asking Israel to stop striking Iran’s energy sites (Picture: AP)

Natural gas prices in Europe and Asia,which rely heavily on imported liquefied natural gas,have seen prices spiral.

A barrel of oil was priced at about £73 yesterday,an 81% increase since before the war.

US President Donald Trump warned Iran earlier today that if the country stops the flow of oil through the Hormuz,they will be ‘hit by the United States of America 20 TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far’.

The White House claimed that any price rises Americans are seeing at the pumps are ‘temporary’.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: ‘This operation will result in lower gas prices in the long term.’

The Trump administration,however,is reportedly urging Israel to rein in its attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure,fearing it could impact any future oil deals with the US.

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