US officials claim Iran unable to find mines it laid in strait of Hormuz, report says

Iran dropped explosives in the waterway erratically and may not have marked where it put all of them, US suggests Iran is unable to find the mines it laid in the strait of Hormuz and does not have the capacity to remove the explosives, preventing Iran from allowing more traffic through the waterway, the New York Times reported, citing US officials. Meanwhile, US military officials on Saturday announced that their forces “began setting conditions for clearing mines in the strait”, with two navy guided-missile destroyers conducting operations. The opening of the strait of Hormuz – a chokepoint for a fifth of the world’s oil supply – is a primary demand of the US to end the war in Iran. The virtual closure of the strait sent fuel prices soaring, creating the world’s largest energy crisis in decades and putting pressure on Donald Trump at home. Negotiators from the US and Iran were meeting in Islamabad this weekend to negotiate a final truce to end the war. A continued closure of the strait could prove to be a stumbling bloc for the talks as Trump demanded the complete and immediate opening of the waterway for the current pause in fighting to be sustained. Iran laid mines in the strait