Former head of CENTCOM: Iran still has hundreds of mines

Iran still has hundreds of mines that it can lay in the Strait of Hormuz in an attempt to keep it closed to shipping, says the former head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), retired General Erik Kurilla.

The general said that before the US and Israel attacked Iran, the country's stockpile of mines was estimated at thousands, the Wall Street Journal reported. Most of these cargoes were destroyed, according to public information provided by the command.

Kurilla emphasized at a security conference at Vanderbilt University that by using hundreds of mines, Iran could still prevent navigation through the strait. “They can take advantage of this,” added the general, who headed CENTCOM from 2022 to August 2025.

He also noted that the American blockade of Iran's ports has a negative impact on the country's economy, and the real effects of these actions will begin to be visible in about two weeks.

Then Iran will run out of space to store oil on Khark Island and will have to start closing oil wells. This, in turn, may damage oil infrastructure and make it difficult for Tehran to return to its pre-war export capabilities, emphasized the former head of the command overseeing US forces in the Middle East.

“Every conflict ends with a negotiated agreement, so both sides will have to give up something,” he said. – So a good indicator of the blockade's success would probably be Iran's return to the negotiating table – added General Kurilla.

As announced by the White House, President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and the head of state's son-in-law Jared Kushner will go to Pakistan on Saturday for talks with Iran.

From Washington Natalia Dziurdzińska (PAP)

Sun/Apr/