US official Pete Hegseth confirmed that the US has heard chatter about Iran laying new naval mines but stated there is no clear evidence of such actions yet.
Following unprecedented US and Israeli airstrikes that decimated Iran's naval infrastructure between March 9 and 13, questions are circulating regarding Iran's capacity and intent to lay new naval mines. The ongoing conflict has already resulted in the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz and driven global oil prices above $120 per barrel.
According to خبرفوری ࡆ اخبارفوری مذاکره ࡆ جنگ فوری, an Iranian breaking news channel focused on the ongoing conflict, US official Pete Hegseth was recently pressed by a reporter on whether Iran is actively placing new mines. Hegseth confirmed the US is monitoring communications, stating, "We heard that they are talking about it, just as you have recklessly and wildly reported about it".
However, a parallel report from اخبارفوری خبرفوری جنگ امریکا فوری, another Iranian channel tracking the US-Iran war, provided further context to his remarks. While echoing Hegseth's criticism of the press's "reckless" reporting on the chatter, the channel noted that Hegseth explicitly added, "But we have no clear evidence of this".
The absence of concrete evidence regarding new mine deployments follows President Donald Trump's recent declaration that the Iranian Navy has been destroyed, though the existing blockade of the Strait continues to halt oil production in neighboring countries like Kuwait.
The two source channels provide slightly different truncations of Pete Hegseth's response to the press. The first channel omits the crucial caveat that the US lacks clear evidence of new mine-laying, focusing instead on his confirmation of the chatter and his criticism of the reporter. The second channel includes the full context. 'Pete Hegseth' is transliterated in the source text.