image sourced from original article at The United States is moving urgently to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after Iran threatened the vital shipping route by laying mines and targeting commercial vessels. The waterway carries a significant share of the world's oil, and rising tensions have led to attacks on ships, seizures and warnings from Tehran that it could close the strait entirely.
President Donald Trump has warned Iran against further escalation and signaled that the United States is prepared to act to keep the passage open. In response to Iranian actions, the United States has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, creating an active and volatile standoff in the narrow corridor.
The crisis is exposing a gap in the Navy's mine-clearing capabilities. After retiring its Bahrain-based minesweepers last year, the Navy is now relying on a smaller force that includes legacy ships and newer unmanned systems to detect and neutralize mines in one of the world's most strategically important waterways.
