![Map of alternate Hormuz route released by Iranian media [Mehr News Telegram capture]](https://contents-cdn.viewus.co.kr/image/2026/04/CP-2023-0070/image-abea791e-a9ef-4ffe-89b8-71134123bb2d.jpeg)
Analysts say Iran’s restrictions on vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz may reflect not a deliberate blockade but an inability to accurately chart the locations of mines it has previously laid.
The New York Times reported on the 10th (local time) that Tehran has attempted to expand passage through the strait but ran into trouble because it has not verified the precise positions of the mines it deployed earlier.
U.S. officials say it remains unclear whether Iran kept a systematic record of every mine it deployed.
Some of the mines reportedly were not securely anchored and could drift with currents.
Iran later released navigation charts indicating safe passages, but experts warn those routes provide limited protection because the mines appear to have been placed haphazardly.
Analysts also warn Iran lacks sufficient capability to clear its own mines quickly.
That reality could become a key variable in the upcoming U.S.-Iran talks scheduled to take place in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump had demanded the “complete, immediate, and safe reopening” of the Strait of Hormuz as a condition for a cease-fire, making the issue likely central to any negotiations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said immediately after the cease-fire announcement that Iran would open the strait while accounting for technical constraints.
It remains unclear how Washington will respond to Iran’s explanation.
