Iran’s Naval Mines: The IED of the Seas Read more: Iran’s Naval Mines: The IED of the Seas - Popular Mechanics

Any ship can be a minesweeper—once. So goes the gallows humor referring to the threat that naval mines pose to ships.

But that sardonic phrase underlies a more pressing reality: In recent months, the United States and other countries have grown increasingly concerned about Iran’s ability to mine the Strait of Hormuz, essentially cutting off a critical international waterway.

Iran’s leadership has already threatened to shut down the international shipping route, while also crowing about its growing fleet of mini submarines that are difficult to detect and can be used to lay mines.

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