US intelligence finds 10 new mines in Strait of Hormuz

A newly disclosed American intelligence assessment has revealed that U.S. forces have identified at least 10 sophisticated naval mines lurking beneath the surface of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

The alarming intelligence discovery, confirmed anonymously by US national security officials who spoke to CBS News on Tuesday, highlights Tehran’s ongoing efforts to hold the world’s most critical economic maritime artery hostage.

The find follows a previous intelligence report in March, which indicated the presence of at least a dozen underwater mines across the shipping lanes. At that time, defense officials confirmed that the Islamic Republic was actively employing indigenous, state-of-the-art weaponry – specifically the Iranian-manufactured Maham 3 and Maham 7 Limpet mines – to enforce its maritime siege, though another US official argued the total count was less than a dozen.

Unlike primitive explosive devices of the past, the dual-threat armaments currently deployed by the Iranian regime utilize sophisticated non-contact sensor arrays designed to maximize devastation against merchant fleets.

The Maham 3 is a sophisticated, moored naval mine that remains anchored beneath the waves. Utilizing advanced magnetic and acoustic sensors, the device detects passing vessels without requiring physical contact. It is capable of engaging targets within about 10 feet, analyzing movement to determine the most effective moment to activate.

The Maham 7, engineered as a “sticking mine,” is specifically designed to rest silently along the seabed. Relying on a highly specialized combination of acoustic and three-axis magnetic sensors to detect nearby vessels, it deliberately targets medium-sized ships, landing craft and smaller submarines.

While it remains unclear what type of mines were involved in this latest assessment, the escalating threat has already forced major operational shifts in regional navigation. Earlier this month, the United States military began directing commercial ships toward an alternative route in the Strait of Hormuz farther from Iran – a secondary passage that the US Navy has spent weeks painstakingly clearing of explosives.

The report comes a day after US President Donald Trump revealed in a post on Truth Social that the US was planning on striking Iran on Tuesday, but postponed the attack because of what he referred to as “serious negotiations” were being held.

Speaking to reporters later in the day, Trump said, “We were getting ready to do a very major attack tomorrow. I’ve put it off for a little while, hopefully, maybe forever, but possibly for a little while, because we’ve had very big discussions with Iran, and we’ll see what they amount to.”

Trump added, “I was asked by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, and some others if we could put it off for two or three days, a short period of time, because they think that they are getting very close to making a deal. And if we can do that, where there’s no nuclear weapon going into the hands of Iran, I think, and if they’re satisfied, we will be probably satisfied also.”

He stressed that the US informed Israel of the decision to hold off on the attack as well as “other people in the Middle East that have been involved with us.”

“It’s a very positive development, but we’ll see whether or not it amounts to anything. We’ve had periods of time where we thought [we were] pretty much getting close to making a deal, and it didn’t work out, but this is a little bit different,” said Trump, who added that the strike he halted would have been “very big and not something I wanted to do, but we have no choice because we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”