Iran is preparing to plant mines in one of the most important shipping lanes in the world, US officials claim.
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway off Iran’s southern coast that sees around 80 oil and gas tankers pass through it every day.
But marine traffic has dried up since the US and Israel launched a deadly attack on Tehran, prompting Iran to attack any ships veering towards it.
Only a limited number of tankers have made it through the Hormuz, often by switching off the devices that broadcast their positions.
American intelligence has seen signs that Iran is using small vessels in the transitway that can carry up to three naval mines, CBS News reports.
Tehran has so far not resorted to mines or anti-ship missiles to stop ships; instead, it has carried out drone strikes near the curvy waterway.
By doing so, spooked insurers have upped their prices and refuse to underwrite ships, so companies aren’t risking the trip while uninsured.
About 3,200 ships, or 4% of global ship tonnage, are idle in the Gulf, shipping data tracker Clarksons Research has found.
Iran’s feared Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said last week it is in full control of the strait.
Analysts warn that the conflict could impact oil and gas prices across the world and increase inflation. The longer the war drags on, the less oil and gas there is out in the world.
Natural gas prices in Europe and Asia, which rely heavily on imported liquefied natural gas, have seen prices spiral.
A barrel of oil was priced at about £73 yesterday, an 81% increase since before the war.
US President Donald Trump warned Iran earlier today that if the country stops the flow of oil through the Hormuz, they will be ‘hit by the United States of America 20 TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far’.
The White House claimed that any price rises Americans are seeing at the pumps are ‘temporary’.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: ‘This operation will result in lower gas prices in the long term.’
The Trump administration, however, is reportedly urging Israel to rein in its attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure, fearing it could impact oil deals.
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