— WSJ: Iran can effectively close Strait of Hormuz without sinking a single ship
The Wall Street Journal reports that Iran only needs to convince insurers that a mine may be present somewhere in the waterway to disrupt shipping. Washington would need to locate and destroy every mine, while Tehran would only need to create one credible report that a mine may be present. Iran displayed a Fajr-5 missile during a 2025 military exercise that was reportedly capable of launching a naval mine from the coast, which could allow Tehran to lay mines without exposing vessels to US aircraft. This capability may have been among the targets of US Central Command (CENTCOM) strikes on Larak Island. The IRGC also reportedly retains large numbers of small, fast boats hidden along Iran's coastline. A RAND Corporation specialist noted that mine warfare does not allow anyone to say all mines have been cleared; authorities can only say the level of risk has been reduced to an acceptable level.@TPOnow
