Although the conflict in Iran has degraded Iranian military capabilities, experts––including CERL Executive Board Member General Joseph Votel––assess that Iran’s ability to mine the Strait of Hormuz still poses complications for the United States and for global shipping. Iran has been reduced to using less powerful, missile-launched naval mines but still benefits from an asymmetric advantage: While the United States must employ extensive intelligence capabilities to credibly ensure that the strait has not been mined, Iran only has to create doubt that it might have been mined to disrupt shipping and accomplish their goals.

General Joseph L. Votel, U.S. Army (Ret.), is the former Commander of the U.S. Central Command. He is a Distinguished Military Fellow at the Middle East Institute and a member of the CERL Executive Board. Read his bio here.      

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