Strait of Hormuz naval standoff

Tensions in the Persian Gulf have escalated as U.S. Central Command announced that the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. and USS Spruance began clearing Iranian-laid mines to restore commercial traffic.

U.S. officials claim that Iran’s 'haphazard' mining has left even the regime unable to locate all the explosives, creating a critical hazard for global energy supplies.

Tehran has dismissed these claims as propaganda and threatened to attack any foreign military vessels attempting to police the strait.

This naval standoff occurs as negotiators in Pakistan attempt to reach a long-term diplomatic solution to the regional crisis.