The Largest Mine-Clearing Exercise by the U.S. and the 'Boastings' of IRGC Commanders

The largest mine-clearing exercise by the U.S. and its allies took place in the Persian Gulf, Oman Sea, Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean over an area of 8.5 million square kilometers, covering three chokepoints for energy transfer from the Persian Gulf to Europe: the Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb, and the Suez Canal. Nearly 40% of the world's oil passes through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The unprecedented participation in the International Mine Countermeasures Exercise (IMCMEX 14), the third annual exercise managed by the U.S. Fifth Fleet, began on Monday, October 27, with a three-day symposium in Manama and continued until November 13. This year's exercise was more complex and extensive compared to the previous two years, with 44 countries, 38 ships, 32 commercial vessels, 6,500 military personnel, and 700 civilians participating. The U.S., which allocated the most units to this exercise, has eight mine countermeasure vessels in the Persian Gulf and has increased the number of mine-hunting helicopters associated with the Fifth Fleet in recent years. The U.S. Navy ship 'Ponce', which is essentially a floating naval base, was present at the exercise. Following the U.S., the United Kingdom played a major role in the exercise by sending 10 ships, including four mine countermeasures, and 1,500 military personnel. Arab countries in the southern Persian Gulf, Jordan, and many European countries, including Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Germany, and Norway also participated. From regional countries, Pakistan and from the Far East, Japan and South Korea sent units to the exercise, while some countries like Egypt, Brazil, and Lebanon only sent observers. The exercise was conducted in three phases. The first phase involved the aforementioned symposium in Bahrain, where senior officers from participating countries reviewed the execution of the exercise at sea and discussed the challenges faced by their units. The second phase involved the movement of ships to sea in three joint task forces, practicing mine hunting, mine clearance with helicopters, mine neutralization operations, diving, escorting commercial and oil tankers, identifying and inspecting suspicious vessels and boats, and finally protecting ports, anchorages, and offshore facilities, such as oil rigs. This phase aimed to enhance the readiness of participating units to keep maritime communication lines open and ensure the free movement of vessels. It also tested methods to combat piracy and counter suicide missions by fast boats carrying explosives. Admiral John Miller, commander of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, described this phase of the exercise on the official U.S. Navy website, stating that in addition to 38 ships, 19 unmanned underwater vehicles and 100 special explosive ordnance disposal divers were also used. He explained that all participating countries fully agree on one point: the threat to global trade from naval mines. In the final phase of the exercise, participating commanders and officers, as well as observers, held a meeting in Bahrain to discuss lessons learned from the exercise to strengthen coordination among participating countries. Additionally, some findings and challenges from the exercise will be reviewed in a mine-clearing conference scheduled to take place in London from November 17 to 19. Underwater robots, mine-hunting helicopters, and the tactical and operational use of naval mines generally have two components: one is laying mines, and the other is mine clearance. In the mine clearance or anti-mine operations, which have a defensive aspect and were the basis for this year's exercise, there are three major challenges: determining the location of laid mines; avoiding mined waters and determining safe routes for the movement of ships and vessels; and if this is not possible, clearing a navigable route in mined waters by sweeping, neutralizing, or destroying mines. These mines can be floating and proximity (tethered), or bottom (laid on the seabed) of acoustic, magnetic, or pressure types, or a combination of them. In recent decades, sweeping and destroying mines has traditionally been done by mine-hunting ships, mine-sweepers, helicopters, and divers, but in recent years, with significant advancements in marine technologies, as demonstrated in three U.S. mine-clearing exercises in the Persian Gulf and surrounding waters, the use of underwater robots (or unmanned underwater vehicles) for sweeping or locating mines has become very effective. One of the robots used by the British and American navies in these exercises is called 'SeaFox', which is directed by mine-hunting ships towards laid mines to detonate them. Recently, Jonathan Greenert, commander of the U.S. Navy, stated that U.S. mine-hunting helicopters will be retired due to their high costs and obsolescence, and instead, underwater robots will take to the field for sweeping or hunting mines. The airborne mine detection system, trained marine mammals, aside from robots, showcased new achievements in marine technology during this year's exercise, including the 'airborne laser mine detection system'. This system, which is installed on 'MH-60S' helicopters known as 'Sea Hawk', is used to locate floating mines or mines released in coastal waters, especially in maritime chokepoints. Another feature of this year's exercise was the use of trained marine mammals to assist in mine hunting and protect ships and anchorages. According to Admiral Miller, commander of the Fifth Fleet, these mammals, with the help of their trainers, can find and mark laid mines in a busy and crowded marine environment, as well as in deep waters, facilitating their neutralization. These mammals can also prevent enemy divers from attacking ships anchored in ports or moored at docks. According to U.S. military media, these mammals can apprehend divers by attaching a restraint to them, which is connected by a thin rope to a patrol boat, and the trainers of these animals can pull the rope to bring the attacking diver to the surface. For decades, the U.S. Navy has been training certain mammals for military missions. This secret program became public in the 1990s. The U.S. first used 'bottlenose dolphins' and underwater robots in the Persian Gulf following the 2003 war against Iraq and the fall of Saddam's regime to clear laid mines in the port of Umm Qasr, allowing supply ships to dock at the port's piers to begin supporting ground units. Iranian Mines This international exercise, aside from its military aspect, primarily carries a message to the Islamic Republic that asymmetric warfare in its operational doctrine at sea holds a special place, and mine laying is considered an effective factor for deterring potential enemies, especially the U.S. IRGC commanders have previously mentioned the possibility of closing the Strait of Hormuz in case of conflict with the U.S. According to Western experts, the Islamic Republic possesses over two thousand mines, including Chinese 'EM-52' mines, and can lay mines using surface vessels (military or commercial) and Kilo-class submarines (Noor, Tareq, Younes) if necessary. However, one of the biggest weaknesses of the IRGC and Navy is the lack of mine-clearing capability. In other words, if Western countries respond to Iran's mine-laying with countermeasures and surround Iran's ports and some strategic islands with their advanced and complex mines, the Islamic Republic will be unable to sweep or neutralize them. Boastings of IRGC Naval Commanders Despite this incapacity, senior IRGC naval officers exaggerate the capabilities of their forces while simultaneously holding a very simplistic view of the U.S. naval power, which can be seen in the propaganda documentary 'Face to Face with the Devil'. This documentary was recently aired on the Soraya television program. In this context, Brigadier General Mahmoud Fahimim, deputy operations commander of the IRGC Navy, reacted to the first U.S. and allied mine-clearing exercise in the Persian Gulf in 2012, stating, 'The IRGC Navy has mastery over mines, mine laying, and mine clearing, and the United States has no capability to counter this.' Ali Fadavi, commander of the IRGC Navy, stated last year in Mashhad that 'no one in the IRGC believes that the power and capability of the U.S. Navy is greater than Iran's.' This commander also stated in an interview with Fars News Agency in May of this year that everyone knows one of our operational goals is to destroy the U.S. Navy and that an American vessel can be sunk in 50 seconds. He also mentioned in the documentary 'Face to Face with the Devil' regarding the IRGC's strategy for ensuring security in the Persian Gulf, 'We have a plan that Americans must leave the Persian Gulf.' The deputy of this commander, Alireza Tangsiri, also stated in similar remarks in the aforementioned documentary that Iran has 'dealt six strong blows' to the Americans since 1984 after their presence in the Persian Gulf, but he cannot 'elaborate on the dimensions of it' for security reasons. The reality is that changes in U.S. maritime strategy have emerged, but there is no sign of the U.S. leaving the Persian Gulf and its surrounding waters, and the increasing scale of mine-clearing exercises each year contradicts Ali Fadavi's claims. The U.S. aims to create effective deterrence against the Islamic Republic by utilizing small units and fast corvettes, while streamlining the Fifth Fleet and consolidating the naval capabilities of the Gulf Arab states, thereby reducing its military costs and curbing Iran's ambitions in this waterway.