JMIC Warns Hormuz Mines Still Active After Trump Said Waters Were Cleared

The Joint Maritime Information Centre put out an update on 20 August finding mines still an active hazard in the Strait of Hormuz, directly contradicting claims by US President Donald Trump that the waterway was clear.

Trump had posted on Truth Social that "The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated." The JMIC advisory, which covers the 18 to 20 August period, stated the opposite: "There remained a continued risk of drifting or uncharted mines in and near the TSS, with mine danger areas still active."

Mines are not the only risk. IRGC harassment of ships continued through the reporting window, including radio hailing, UAV overflights, and targeted surveillance of ships in the transit lanes. Independent tracking data showed throughput still at single-digit numbers of tankers moving in each direction. The JMIC kept its threat level for the area at SEVERE.

The advisory confirmed one attack during the period: a rocket strike that left a crew member dead on a bulk carrier exiting the strait on 17 August. Trump's mine declaration came days after he posted a map on Truth Social labelling the Strait of Hormuz 'new U.S. territory', a designation Iran rejected. Shipping through the strait has yet to recover to pre-conflict volumes.