ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian fishermen hauling in their shrimp nets in the Strait of Hormuz made an alarming discovery on Saturday: a naval mine tangled among their catch in one of the world’s most heavily contested waterways. The mine became caught in the net of a fishing dhow in waters between Qeshm and Hormuz islands at around 10am on Saturday, September 26, according to Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB. The fishermen reportedly released the object back into the sea after discovering it. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later told the fishermen that the mine was old, had been neutralised and posed no danger, according to the broadcaster. The broadcaster did not say how the IRGC made this assessment without examining the mine. But the unusual catch highlights the continuing risks facing fishermen, merchant crews and vessels operating around the Strait of Hormuz, months after the US said it had cleared Iranian mines from internationally recognised shipping lanes at great cost. The incident comes months after the United States began a mine-clearance operation in the Strait of Hormuz following Iranian mine-laying during the conflict between the US and Israel against Iran, turning the narrow waterway into one of the most dangerous maritime routes in the world. US Central Command said in April that its forces were working to clear mines previously laid by Iran's IRGC and establish a new safe passage for commercial shipping. “Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free flow of commerce,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, in April. In late August, Cooper said the US forces had managed to clear the Strait from the Iranian mines. The declaration, however, applied to the established shipping lanes rather than every stretch of water surrounding the islands and coastline. The fishermen’s discovery comes as Washington and Tehran continue to trade military threats while simultaneously pursuing indirect negotiations through regional mediators. The Strait of Hormuz remains central to the confrontation between Iran and the United States. Tehran has made reopening the waterway part of its latest diplomatic proposal, while Washington and Iran continue indirect negotiations through regional mediators. Reuters reported this week that Qatari mediators were holding separate talks with Iranian and US officials over a revised version of Iran's proposal. US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the amount of oil moving through the Strait in recent days had exceeded any previous level, while saying Iran had yet to agree to Washington's demands. “We took more oil out of the Hormuz Strait over the last couple of days, than at any point in history including long before we had the war to stop the nuclear weapon,” President Donald Trump said on Tuesday night after meeting with top tech executives at the White House. “They are doing very poorly, I don't know if they are going to give yet,” Trump said, referring to Iran. “They’ll give up.”
