The headline weapons of Iranian maritime strategy are missiles and fast boats. The actual weapon, the one that has done the most damage at the lowest cost across four decades, is the sea mine. Mines are unglamorous, undermarketed, and operationally devastating. Any serious analysis of a Hormuz contingency starts with them.

Iran’s mine inventory is large and varied. Estimates run to several thousand devices, ranging from refurbished Soviet contact mines to indigenous influence mines triggered by acoustic, magnetic, or pressure signatures. Some are tethered. Some are bottom-laid. Some are smart enough to count ship signatures and ignore the first several passes before activating. The technological floor is low. The technological ceiling is high enough to challenge even modern minesweeping.