US Destroyed Most of Iran’s Sea Mines, Centcom Chief Says (1)

May 14, 2026, 5:52 PM UTC

The US has destroyed more than 90% of Iran’s inventory of around 8,000 naval mines, the commander of US forces in the Middle East told lawmakers on Thursday, in a written statement that did not address Tehran’s continued control of the vital Strait of Hormuz.

US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper said more than 700 airstrikes had eliminated Iran’s “once-massive inventory” of sea mines but he did not disclose how many had been laid in the strait versus destroyed in storage or on vessels.

More broadly, Cooper emphasized the number of traditional Iranian military assets US forces had ...

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