US forces have destroyed a number of Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz, including 16 it claimed were capable of laying mines on the vital trade route.
Footage released by the US Central Command (Centcom), the branch of the military responsible for operations in the Middle East, showed the vessels being sunk by drone strikes.
U.S. forces eliminated multiple Iranian naval vessels, March 10, including 16 minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz. pic.twitter.com/371unKYiJs
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 10, 2026
"US forces eliminated multiple Iranian naval vessels, March 10, including 16 minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz,” Centcom said.
In the clips, most of the vessels were moored at the time of the strikes and it is not clear whether any mines were actually laid.
The strait is a major shipping lane linking Iran, Iraq, eastern Saudi Arabia and Oman with Asia through the Arabian Sea and with Europe, via the Suez Canal.
Around a fifth of the world’s total oil supply passes through the strait each year but, following US and Israeli strikes on its territory, Iran has effectively closed the route by threatening to attack commercial vessels in the area and launched strikes against energy production infrastructure in the neighbouring Gulf states.
As a result, oil and gas prices have seen significant increases, at one point hitting over $100 for a barrel of crude, as have prices of refined chemicals used in fertiliser production, sparking concerns of energy and food inflation in the coming weeks.
These increases have eased slightly in recent days, but oil prices are still over $80 a barrel, up from $73 before the start of the Iran War.
Ali Larajani, head of Iran’s security forces, has claimed that Hormuz will become “a strait of suffering and defeat for warmongers,” but Washington has pledged to guarantee the “free flow of energy” out of the region.
President Trump even suggested last week that the US Navy could be deployed to protect commercial shipping through the strait, though his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed on Tuesday that no vessels had been provided with such an escort as yet.
And UK Maritime Trade Operations announced on Wednesday morning that three cargo ships in the area had been hit by “unknown projectiles”.
Thailand’s navy has deployed ships to the strait after a Thai-flagged vessel was hit near Oman, while a Japanese-flagged container ship was struck off the coast of the UAE. Additionally, a third vessel was hit around 50 miles off the coast of Dubai.
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