The United States attacked Iran again on Sunday, ending a month-long peace period. This time, it targeted the country’s rocket launch facility on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
US officials say the attack was carried out to prevent Iran from laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz using rockets.
The US described the attack as a “limited and specific operation” against Iranian forces engaged in laying mines.
Mines are usually laid at sea using special types of warships, submarines, or aircraft. They can be placed at the very bottom of the sea, or they can be floated slightly above the water. The mines are designed to automatically detonate when a ship passes by, sensing the vibration of its engine or magnetic signal.
Meanwhile, Iranian leaders have strongly condemned the attack, calling it an act of aggression. However, Iran has not been sitting idly by after the US attack. In retaliation, the IRGC said it had launched counterattacks on two US military bases in Jordan.
The IRGC said its members and civilians were killed in the US attack. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported at least two people were killed and two others wounded.
But the question has arisen as to whether it is really possible to lay mines at sea using rockets, as claimed by the United States. What is known so far about this is—
Retired senior US Navy officer Harlan Ullman has called the US administration’s claim about laying sea mines using rockets “absurd”.
US intelligence may have secretly received information that Iran was preparing to lay new mines at sea using ship-launched systems, but they fabricated the rocket story to downplay the threat to the international community.
Harlan Ullman, retired senior officer of the US Navy
Ullman believes that US intelligence may have secretly received information that Iran was preparing to lay new mines at sea using ship-launched systems, but they fabricated the rocket story to downplay the threat to the international community.
Ullman said that when the rocket hits the water at high speed, the impact could detonate or destroy the mine. Iran has much better ways and technology to lay mines at sea. Why would they take such a risk using a rocket? He also said that the whole thing seemed completely strange to him.
However, Iran itself has previously advertised its ability to lay mines at sea using missiles.
A report broadcast on Iranian state television in January 2025 showed the IRGC laying mines using Fajr-5 multiple launch rocket systems during naval exercises.
How mines are usually laid at sea
Mines are usually laid at sea using special types of warships, submarines, or aircraft. They can be placed at the very bottom of the sea, or they can be floated slightly above the water. The mines are designed to automatically detonate when a ship passes by, sensing the vibration of its engine or magnetic signal.
Iran is believed to have used small, fast warships to drop explosives in the Strait of Hormuz. These ships quickly leave the area after laying mines. However, US forces have already attacked several of these Iranian vessels.
Last week, US President Donald Trump said that CENTCOM had completed the removal of mines in the Strait of Hormuz. He also claimed that the strait was now mine-free. Trump warned Iran that any ships or vessels used to lay new mines would be destroyed.
Experts say that to make the Strait of Hormuz safe for normal shipping, CENTCOM will have to conduct a very slow operation, finding each mine and deactivating it with a controlled explosion.
At the time, analysts described Iran’s strategy as “novelty,” but they also expressed concern that the IRGC could deploy thousands of mines across a vast area of the sea with just one rocket launch.
The US Navy typically uses Avenger-class mine-clearing ships. They are built with materials that do not transmit much of their internal magnetic vibrations or engine vibrations to the water. As a result, mines hidden under the sea are not easily detected by the ship and the risk of them exploding is much lower.
What is known about Iran’s Fajr-5 rocket system?
Iran is well known in the international community for using asymmetric warfare, a strategy that can have a large impact at low cost.
In January last year, Iranian media reported that the IRGC demonstrated a completely new mine-laying technique during naval exercises, in which they placed mines directly into the sea using the Fajr-5 rocket system from land.
At the time, analysts described the strategy as “novelty,” but they also expressed concern that the IRGC could deploy thousands of mines across a vast area of the sea with just one rocket launch.
First developed in the 1990s, the Fajr-5 is a 333mm diameter medium-range rocket system. It is typically used to launch rockets like a long-range cannon.
The main advantage of this rocket system is that it is mounted on a moving truck. A maximum of four rockets can be fired in a row from the launcher on the truck. Each rocket contains a high-powered explosive weighing about 175 kg. When the rocket explodes, its internal parts turn into numerous high-speed sharp metal fragments that can simultaneously destroy multiple targets around it.
The Fajr-5 has a range of about 75 kilometers. Iranian forces have used it primarily to attack air bases and military installations.
With a range of 75 kilometers, even when used from land, the Fajr-5 rocket can easily spread mines throughout the vital waters of the entire Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has since further developed this technology. Newer versions, such as the Fajr-5C, have been equipped with more modern, GPS-based precision navigation systems. These advanced rockets can now accurately hit targets farther away than before—up to 130 kilometers.
How can Fajr-5 be a minefield?
Iran has not confirmed whether it is currently laying mines at sea using the Fajr-5 or any other rocket system.
Theoretically, it is possible to place leaf mines in the sea instead of explosives at the head of a rocket, where explosives or bombs are usually located. It is believed that such a method was demonstrated during an IRGC naval exercise in January 2025.
In this system, the rocket is first launched from the coastal land using a truck-mounted launcher. Then the mine-laden rocket will fly over the sea. When the rocket reaches the sky of the designated sea area, the shell or cover on the rocket will automatically open in the sky.
The unexploded mines inside the rocket would then fall directly from the sky into the ocean. To prevent the mines from exploding at high speed when they hit the water, each mine is equipped with a small parachute or other special mechanism to slow them down. As a result, the mines fall into the water quite gently.
After being dropped into the ocean, the mines can automatically sink to the bottom of the ocean or float at a certain depth underwater.
