Dubai: Fighting escalated in the Middle East over the weekend after US airstrikes on Sunday targeted Iranian rocket launchers on the island of Larak. The exchange of fire was instigated by the US in retaliation against Iran's new capabilities for firing mines from rockets into the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's use of rocket launchers to deploy sea mines into the strategic waterway would be unprecedented, but not implausible. Even so, some analysts remain skeptical.

According to France24.com, the motive behind the US strikes on Sunday, which hit Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, appears to have been the prevention of a new threat to shipping in the vital waterway. Officially, the US military decided to resume its strikes after a month-long hiatus because Iranian forces from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were preparing to launch rockets loaded with sea mines into the strait.

Some maritime security experts say they were taken by surprise by the US's claim. This alleged new capability by the Iranians to deploy mines into the strait is puzzling, said a specialist in maritime conflicts who preferred to remain anonymous. Traditionally, Iranians have transported sea mines in small, fast boats, submarines, or aircraft, making the strait dangerous for vessels navigating it without knowing the exact location of the explosives.

According to Dirk Siebels, a maritime security specialist at Risk Intelligence, using land-based rocket launchers to shoot sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz would be a novel method. Harlan Ullman, a former US Naval officer, also expressed doubt, suggesting that rocket launchers would likely damage the mines upon water impact. Reports have circulated for months about Iran's potential use of missiles for mine deployment, with Iranian state television showcasing the Fajr-5 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) as a new mining weapon in the strait as early as January 2025.

Sidharth Kaushal from the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies (RUSI) noted that Iran has been testing the Fajr-5 systems for this purpose. The advantage of using rocket launchers lies in speed and efficiency, as it eliminates the need for loading mines onto boats and traveling to the site. However, the method is not without drawbacks, as it scatters mines randomly, making it difficult for even Iran to track their locations.

Christian Bueger, a maritime security expert at the University of Copenhagen, labeled the situation as war propaganda, suggesting that the US needed to justify its strikes by portraying a new maritime threat. Regardless, the potential for psychological warfare remains, with the mere risk of mines possibly deterring ships from traversing the strait.

Shahin Modarres from the International Team for the Study of Security (ITSS) in Verona argued that Iran's use of unconventional methods like rocket launchers demonstrates its ability to impose military might, even under economic pressures from the US. Whether bluff or genuine threat, this development in the conflict highlights the enduring effectiveness of mines in modern warfare.