U.S. Says It Destroyed 90% Of Iran’s Sea Mines Amid Ongoing Strait Of Hormuz Shipping Disruptions

The United States has said it destroyed more than 90% of Iran’s stockpile of around 8,000 sea mines during military operations linked to the Gulf conflict, as tensions continue to affect shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking before the US Senate Armed Services Committee, US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper said more than 700 airstrikes targeted Iran’s naval mine infrastructure as part of Operation Epic Fury.

He said the strikes destroyed most of Iran’s sea mines, but did not say how many were destroyed in storage, on vessels or after deployment.

The Strait of Hormuz remains under pressure despite the ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

Threats against commercial ships have disrupted traffic through the waterway for more than two months. The route is one of the world’s most important oil and LNG shipping lanes.

Cooper said US forces also destroyed 161 Iranian naval vessels during 38 days of combat operations. He told senators that Iran’s navy could no longer operate as a major maritime force or project power into the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean.

He said Iranian fast-boat activity in the Strait of Hormuz had fallen sharply since the conflict started.

According to Cooper, US forces earlier used to see between 20 and 40 Iranian fast boats during transits through the strait, but recent passages recorded only two or three.

Cooper said Iran still retained limited capabilities, including harassment operations, low-level drone and rocket attacks, and some proxy support, but no longer had the ability to threaten major regional military operations or restrict US naval activity in the region.

According to figures presented during the hearing, US forces carried out more than 10,200 sorties and over 13,500 strikes during the campaign.

Cooper said more than 85% of Iran’s ballistic missile, drone and naval defence industrial base had been damaged or destroyed.

The operation included more than 1,450 strikes on weapons manufacturing facilities and around 800 strikes targeting drone-launching units and storage sites.

He also said about 2,000 strikes targeted Iranian command-and-control structures, causing leadership gaps and operational confusion.

US officials said an air defence network centred around al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar intercepted more than 6,000 one-way attack drones and over 1,500 ballistic missiles aimed at US forces, Israel and regional allies during the conflict.

The Pentagon estimates the campaign cost around $25 billion over two months. Most of the spending was linked to munitions, operations and equipment replacement.

Some estimates said the first 100 hours alone cost about $3.7 billion, including the launch of more than 160 Tomahawk cruise missiles.

US and Gulf missile defence systems also faced heavy pressure during the fighting. US Patriot batteries reportedly fired 943 interceptors within the first four days of operations, equal to around 18 months of factory production.

Gulf Cooperation Council states are estimated to have used about 86% of their combined Patriot missile inventory within five weeks.

The Pentagon has now requested an additional $28.8 billion for munitions replenishment. Estimates suggest rebuilding some US weapons stockpiles could take between three and five years.

Senator Jack Reed questioned the overall outcome of the campaign during the hearing. He said the Strait of Hormuz remained effectively closed despite limited escort operations for commercial ships.

Reed also said Iran’s government remained in power, its nuclear material was still in place, and many missiles and launchers had reportedly been recovered.

References: Bloomberg, Navylookout