Iran attacks Iraqi oil tanker, Bahrain oil facility
Iran attacked an Iraqi tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and attacked an oil facility in Bahrain, raising tensions in the Middle East.
The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping lanes and a chokepoint for about a fifth of the world’s oil, has become a flashpoint in the Iran war after a ship laden with explosives attacked a fuel tanker and set it on fire, killing at least one crew member, Reuters reported.
Iran has warned it will not allow commercial ships to sail while the fighting continues, and the threat is already changing behavior at sea as shipping companies withdraw from the strait.
Despite U.S. attacks on minelayers, insurance companies have canceled coverage, traffic has plummeted, and dozens of ships remain anchored offshore. Even the threat of an attack in a narrow channel is enough to disrupt the market and drive up prices.
Here’s what you need to know about sea mines and why they pose a new danger to the Strait of Hormuz.
What are sea mines? How do they work?
A mine is an explosive device placed underwater and left to detonate when a ship passes nearby or makes contact. Unlike missiles and torpedoes, mines do not need to be aimed. they are waiting.
There are several types, but the most common are:
- contact mineexplodes when a ship physically collides with it.
- affect the minecaused by the ship’s magnetic field, engine noise, or underwater pressure.
- bottom mineIt is located on the ocean floor and explodes when a ship passes over it.
- moored mineconnected below the earth’s surface by cables
- limpet mineoften attached directly to the hull by divers or small boats.
Why are landmines such strategic weapons?
Demining is slow, expensive and dangerous. Even after the fighting has stopped, minesweeping can take weeks or months, and shipping continues to be disrupted long after the headlines fade.
This is why military planners often describe sea mines as military weapons as well as weapons of economic warfare. According to NATO.
Have mines been used here before?
yes. During the 1980s “tanker war” between Iran and Iraq, warship mines damaged commercial ships in the Persian Gulf, forcing the United States and its allies to carry out large-scale escort and demining operations.
Reuters contributed reporting to this story.
