Inside the dangerous US mission that cleared Iran’s mines from Hormuz shipping lanes

President Donald Trump declared last week that the United States had removed or detonated all mines in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz .

Now, the commander of U.S.

Central Command has offered the clearest public account yet of the high-stakes operation behind that declaration: a monthslong effort in which U.S. forces quietly cleared Iranian sea mines from established international shipping lanes used by commercial vessels.

Other threats still stand between the cleared lanes and a return to normal activity in one of the world’s most important waterways.

The latest maritime guidance still classifies the Strait at a "SEVERE" threat level.

Recent attacks have struck tankers near Oman, and oil flows remain far below prewar levels.

"We have successfully cleared sea mines in the Strait’s international shipping lanes that were laid months ago by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," CENTCOM Commander Adm.

Brad Cooper said in a video update.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN’S NAVY ‘OBLITERATED’ AS US ENFORCES HORMUZ BLOCKADE — BUT KEY THREAT REMAINS "Internationally recognized transit routes in the Strait are free of Iranian sea mines thanks to the incredible work of the U.S. military," Cooper said.

Cooper identified the cleared area as the Strait’s Traffic Separation Scheme, the long-standing system of opposing lanes that guides commercial vessels through the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman.

"Our forces meticulously and quietly cleared them of sea mine threats using a combination of Navy divers, Navy SEALs and U.S. air power from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps ," Cooper said.

The operation was carried out as the Navy was in the middle of a major transition in how it handles mine warfare.

The service had retired its four Bahrain-based mine countermeasure ships the previous year as newer unmanned systems were still being fielded.

In April, defense analyst Bryan Clark told Fox News Digital the Navy was at a "nadir" in its mine-sweeping capacity.