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US Navy SEALs Cleared Hormuz Strait Mines in Secret Operation

Elite divers conducted a four-month mission using advanced technology to remove explosives from a vital shipping lane.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
US Navy SEALs Cleared Hormuz Strait Mines in Secret Operation

What this story says

  • US Navy SEALs conducted a four-month operation to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz.
  • The mission involved divers, drones, robotic boats, and sonar systems, often operating at night.
  • The UN's International Maritime Organization estimated around 80 mines were placed in the Strait.
  • President Trump declared the mines removed, but some shipping companies and analysts express skepticism about the waterway's complete security.

Who covered it

Left 14%(3)Centre 19%(4)Right 67%(14)

Percentages are shares of the 21 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 26 of the 47 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

60/100

Craft

60/100

Hype

45/100

47 sources · methodology

Thin on the left so far

Only 3 of the 21 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.

This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.

US Navy SEALs undertook a four-month covert operation to remove mines from the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane. The mission, which involved divers, drones, robotic boats, and sonar systems, was largely conducted at night to minimise risk. The operation aimed to secure the passage for international shipping, which had been threatened by mines believed to have been placed by Iran.

The United Nations' International Maritime Organization estimated in June that approximately 80 mines had been laid in the Strait of Hormuz. While US President Donald Trump declared in August that all mines had been removed, some shipping companies and maritime analysts remain uncertain about the complete clearance of the waterway. The ease with which the strait could potentially be re-mined has contributed to this uncertainty.

Disagreement on complete mine removal

While President Trump and the US military stated that all mines had been removed from the Strait of Hormuz, some shipping companies and maritime analysts are skeptical. Novinky.cz reported that ship owners and security advisors are more cautious, believing Americans cleared the southern half near the Omani coast but doubting the entire strait is mine-free. Internewscast noted less consensus on the status of the rest of the waterway, quoting Ethan Connell, an expert on mines, who told the FT that "Iran is certainly trying to re-mine."

What the coverage left out

None of the left-rated or centre-rated digests mention the UN's International Maritime Organization's estimate of approximately 80 mines being placed in the Strait of Hormuz. The right-rated digests also do not mention this specific figure, though some refer to "Iranian mines" generally.

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 5 times, most recently on 9 Sept 2026, 23:00, and will add the sides that appear.

How other outlets pictured it

Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.

US Navy SEALS spent four months demining the Strait of Hormuz in dangerous, nighttime mission
InternewscastCentre

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

3 rated outlets

  • Reports from the left-rated outlets focused on the covert nature and risks of the US Navy SEALs' four-month operation to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz. Novinky.cz highlighted that the divers worked "under the Iranians' noses" and "predominantly at night," using drones and underwater vehicles. The outlet also noted skepticism from ship owners regarding President Trump's claim of complete mine removal. Aljazeera.net's digest mentioned the "dangerous demining mission" and the ongoing danger of replanting mines, suggesting confidence in the corridor's security had transformed into a "pressure sheet between Washington." UOL's digest described the mission as "secret" and "dangerous."

Centre

4 rated outlets

  • Centre-rated reports detailed the operational aspects of the US Navy SEALs' four-month mission to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz, often citing the Financial Times. Internewscast described the "high-risk, four-month operation" involving SEAL divers, drones, and sonar systems, noting that much of the effort unfolded "under cover of darkness." The report also mentioned that no US casualties were reported. Marine Insight's digest focused on the "covert nighttime missions" to clear the "strategic waterway." Dailymail.com's digest also highlighted that Navy SEAL divers "reportedly worked under the cover of darkness for four months." Nationalsecurityjournal.org's digest framed the operation as a "strategic master stroke" by Trump, mentioning the detonation of "roughly eighty mines Iran admits laying."

Right

14 rated outlets

  • Right-rated reports from the digests focused on the US forces' successful completion of a dangerous, secret mission to clear Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz. Slay News stated that "U.S. forces spent four months carrying out a dangerous operation to clear Iranian sea mines," deploying SEAL divers, drones, and sonar systems. Independent Sentinel's digest noted that "The Trump administration had announced that the U.S. Military cleared all the Iranian mines," while acknowledging the Financial Times explained "how they did it." NewsNation's digest mentioned the use of "robot boats, night dives" to keep divers safe. Latestly.com's digest detailed "How US Navy SEALs Risked a Dangerous 4-Month Mission," including the use of divers, drones, and robotic boats, mostly at night. Gulf News's digest described "How US used Navy divers, underwater drones to clear Strait of Hormuz mines."

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover US Navy SEALs Cleared Hormuz Strait Mines in Secret Operation?
Of the 21 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 14% are rated left, 19% are rated centre, 67% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 47. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is US Navy SEALs Cleared Hormuz Strait Mines in Secret Operation left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 21 rated outlets on this story, 14% are rated left, 19% are rated centre, 67% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of US Navy SEALs Cleared Hormuz Strait Mines in Secret Operation biased?
US Navy SEALs Cleared Hormuz Strait Mines in Secret Operation is one event reported by 47 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting US Navy SEALs Cleared Hormuz Strait Mines in Secret Operation?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered US Navy SEALs Cleared Hormuz Strait Mines in Secret Operation?
47 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What was the US Navy's operation in the Strait of Hormuz?
US Navy SEALs conducted a four-month covert operation to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz. The mission involved divers, drones, robotic boats, and sonar systems, largely operating at night to ensure the safety of personnel and secure a vital shipping lane.
How many mines were estimated to be in the Strait of Hormuz?
The UN's International Maritime Organization estimated in June that approximately 80 mines had been placed in the Strait of Hormuz. This figure was cited in some reports detailing the mine-clearing operation.
Was the Strait of Hormuz completely cleared of mines?
President Trump declared that all mines had been removed, but some shipping companies and maritime analysts expressed skepticism. Reports indicate that while areas near the Omani coast may have been cleared, uncertainty remains about the complete security of the entire waterway.

Read it at the source

47 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

3

Centre

4

Right

14
Show 6 more

Not rated

26
Show 18 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

Strait of Hormuz Mine Clearance | MediaBias News