Iran Navy to Widen Gulf Mine-Clearing
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NICOSIA, Cyprus — Iran will sweep international sealanes in the Persian Gulf once it has cleared all its coastal waters of mines, Iran’s navy commander was quoted as saying Monday.
Tehran Radio quoted Rear Adm. Mohammed Hussein Malekzadegan as saying the navy has cleared large areas of Iran’s gulf waters since the Aug. 20 cease-fire in the Iran-Iraq War.
Speaking in the gulf port of Mahshar, he said two sweeping operations that started in the northern gulf and the Strait of Hormuz were converging on the central part of the waterway.
During the so-called tanker war, Western navies sent minesweepers to clear shipping lanes in which at least 10 ships, including a U.S. frigate, struck mines.
The United States accused Iran of planting the mines to disrupt shipping serving Arab supporters of Iraq.
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