U.S. intelligence officials told CBS that Iran has deployed at least a dozen sophisticated naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the officials, the mines are the Iranian-manufactured Maham-3 and Maham-7 models, capable of carrying hundreds of kilograms of explosives and equipped with advanced sensors

Iran used small, speedboats capable of carrying two to three mines to deploy them covertly along the strait, the officials said.

Estimates of Iran’s naval mine stockpile range between 2,000 and 6,000 naval mines. A 2019 report by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency estimated that Tehran possesses more than 5,000 mines ready for rapid deployment via “high-speed small boats equipped as minelayers.”

The inventory includes several main models originating from Iran, China, and Russia, along with self-propelled, torpedo-like mines that can be launched from submarines or from shore and travel independently to their targets.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said: “The Department of War has destroyed over 40 minelaying vessels to stop Iran from attempting to disrupt the free flow of energy. And thanks to President Trump, many countries around the world have agreed to help in this effort.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)