Sea mines and fast boats: how Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz
About this episode
The episode discusses the challenges of protecting the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian threats, including sea mines and fast boats.
What will it take to protect the Strait of Hormuz from Iran’s sea mines and fast boats? With Tehran now charging extortionate tolls, attacking commercial ships who do not get permission to transit and reportedly laying around 20 sea mines, the vital waterway has become a living nightmare. President Donald Trump today told the US Navy to fire on any boats laying mines, but with Pentagon estimates that it will take six months to mine-sweep the Strait, is that enough? To discuss the problem, Venetia Rainey is joined by Emma Salisbury, an Associate Fellow at the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre. Emma explains how American minesweeping capabilities became so heavily degraded, why Iran’s non-conventional navy remains so effective and hard to destroy, and the maritime signs that Trump may be considering a return to all-out war. Plus, senior foreign correspondent Sophia Yan talks through the latest news and updates from the region, including the status of the US-Iran ceasefire, reports that America is running out of munitions, and the Lebanon-Israel peace talks to disarm Hezbollah. Highlights: Why it would take the US six months to minesweep the Strait of…
More episodes of Iran: The Latest
- The true cost of America’s hidden missile crisis & why US-Iran talks are deadlocked
- ‘Trump is wrong - Iran’s regime is not split over this war’
- Trump’s Iran ceasefire flounders as ‘utter chaos’ engulfs Strait of Hormuz
- ‘Any US-Iran nuclear deal is an illusion without proper checks’
- US seizure of Iran vessel near Strait of Hormuz leaves ceasefire in peril
- Iran ‘surrendering’ enriched uranium & why Israel-Lebanon ceasefire won't hold
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Iran: The Latest podcast page.