US clears mines in Strait of Hormuz using robots

Moscow (ANTARA) - The United States Navy is using robots to clear the Strait of Hormuz of mines in order to restore shipping in the waterway for commercial vessels, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal on Sunday (19/4).

At the end of March, CBS News, citing US officials, reported that around a dozen underwater mines suspected to have been planted by Iran were found throughout the Strait of Hormuz.

Related US officials accuse Iran of deploying Iranian-made sea mines Maham 3 and Maham 7, which use magnetic and acoustic sensors to detect ships nearby without contact.

The US military is using air and sea drones equipped with sonar to detect mines that may be on the seabed of the strait, the report stated. The US Navy is also using a combination of manned and unmanned systems, a US defence official told the newspaper.

At the end of February, the United States and Israel launched attacks on targets in Iran, causing damage and civilian casualties.

On 7 April, Washington and Tehran announced a two-week ceasefire, followed by negotiations in Islamabad on 11 April that ended without results.

Although there has been no announcement of the resumption of hostilities, the US has begun blockading Iranian ports. Mediators are attempting to hold a new round of talks between the US and Iran.