Iran may be unable to find some of the naval mines it laid in the Strait of Hormuz, complicating efforts to reopen the key shipping route, according to a report by The Guardian citing US officials.
The report said Iran deployed mines across the waterway in an uncoordinated way and may not have recorded all their locations.
US officials said Iran “may not have marked where it put all of them”, and some devices may have drifted from their original positions.
The strait, which carries a large share of the world’s oil supply, has been largely closed since the conflict escalated, affecting global energy markets.
US military officials said operations to clear the route are underway.
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American forces have “begun setting conditions for clearing mines”, with naval ships deployed in the area.
According to Reuters, the reopening of the strait is a key demand by Washington in ongoing talks with Iran, as both sides meet in Pakistan to discuss a possible truce.
However, progress may be slow. US officials indicated that neither side has the capacity to quickly remove all the mines, especially given the uncertainty over their locations.
Iran has said the strait would be reopened with “due consideration of technical limitations”, which US officials interpret as a reference to the challenges of clearing the explosives.
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Shipping through the route has dropped sharply, with only a limited number of vessels allowed to pass. The situation has contributed to rising fuel costs and wider economic pressure.
The issue of the strait remains one of the main sticking points in the talks, with no agreement yet reached on fully restoring maritime traffic.
(With inputs from agencies)
