International News
Iran struggles to reopen Strait of Hormuz as missing sea mines complicate navigation: Report
Washington, April 11: A fresh complication has emerged in the already tense geopolitical landscape, with Iran reportedly facing difficulties in reopening the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz after laying sea mines during recent hostilities.
According to a report by The New York Times, citing US officials, Tehran is unable to locate all the mines it deployed in the vital shipping corridor, raising serious concerns over maritime safety and global oil supply.
The Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, is one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes, carrying nearly a fifth of global oil shipments. For countries like India, the dependency is even higher, with a significant portion of its energy imports passing through this narrow channel.
As per the report, Iran had deployed mines using small boats last month, shortly after joint airstrikes by the US and Israel amid escalating tensions over Tehran’s nuclear programme. However, officials now believe that the mining operation may not have been systematically documented. Some of the devices, even when recorded, were laid in a manner that allowed them to drift, making detection and removal significantly more challenging.
US officials described the mining effort as “haphazard,” the New York Times reported, highlighting the risks posed to commercial shipping.
The situation has also cast a shadow over ongoing diplomatic efforts, particularly the high-stakes talks between Washington and Tehran currently underway in Islamabad.
“Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had issued warnings that ships passing through the strait could collide with sea mines. It, however, left another passage open to allow the transit of ships that pay a toll,” said the report.
Adding to concerns, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued a public advisory warning vessels about the potential danger.
“All ships intending to transit the Strait of Hormuz are hereby notified that to comply with the principles of maritime safety and to be protected from possible collisions with sea mines… they should take alternative routes for traffic in the Strait of Hormuz,” the IRGC said in a statement.
While Iran has agreed to reopen the strait following a ceasefire with the US, just ahead of a deadline set by President Donald Trump, its inability to swiftly clear the mines has delayed full restoration of normal shipping operations. Authorities have instead proposed alternative navigation routes to minimise risk.
International News
Iran’s IRGC says two ‘violating’ oil tankers disabled by blasts in Hormuz Strait

The navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday that two “violating” oil tankers were disabled by explosions while crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday night.
In a statement on the IRGC’s official news outlet, Sepah News, the navy said the two supertankers transited the strait despite frequent warnings from its centre for controlling traffic in the waterway about the “unauthorised and unsafe” nature of the southern route.
It added that the tankers were carrying more than 4 million barrels of oil in total, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The navy warned that the same fate will await any vessel that turns off its navigation systems in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf and cooperates with the U.S. military in crossing the waterway’s “unauthorised” southern route.
The Navy on Wednesday said a “violating” oil tanker caught fire earlier in the day after hitting naval mines east of the Strait of Hormuz.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday as the oil tanker was transiting the “unsafe and forbidden” region east of the waterway, the navy announced in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported. It said that its naval forces are monitoring the strait’s eastern waters, stressing that safe passage through the waterway requires coordination with the Iranian armed forces and compliance with maritime regulations.
Separately, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Ali Abdollahi on Wednesday warned the United States and Israel against making any new miscalculation, saying that “any point that serves as a focal point for threats against the existence of the sacred establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran will become a direct target of asymmetric operations.”
He said in a message carried by Iranian media that the armed forces would carry out orders issued by the country’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, without hesitation.
International News
One killed as three-storey building collapses in New York

At least one person was killed and 10 others injured after a three-storey building collapsed in New York City’s Brooklyn neighbourhood, authorities said.
One person was pronounced dead at the scene, officials confirmed. Four people were taken to hospital in critical condition, while six others sustained minor injuries, according to the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).
The FDNY said it received reports of people being trapped at around 4:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday after the building collapsed on the edge of a construction site in the Flatbush neighbourhood of Brooklyn.
Videos from the scene showed firefighters digging through the rubble and pulling at least one person out of the debris.
Firefighters continued their search for another person believed to be trapped beneath the rubble and remained in communication with them as rescue operations progressed.
Several injured construction workers were taken to Kings County Hospital for treatment, although their medical conditions were not immediately known. Search and rescue operations were still underway following the collapse.
According to reports citing FDNY radio communications, at least 10 other people were injured in the incident.
Emergency response teams rushed to the site following reports of a partial building collapse at an apartment building in Brooklyn, with people feared trapped inside, according to FDNY officials.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) urged residents and commuters to stay away from the area around Bedford Avenue and Flatbush Avenue following the incident.
In a post on X, the NYPD warned that road closures and traffic delays were expected in the area and advised motorists to use alternate routes to avoid disruption and allow emergency personnel to carry out rescue operations.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul expressed condolences to the family of the person who lost their life in the building collapse. In a post on X, she said, “My heart breaks for the family who lost a loved one in today’s building collapse in Brooklyn. My administration has reached out and offered its full support as authorities investigate what happened.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani also commented on the incident, saying that emergency responders were working to secure the site and assist those affected by the collapse.
In his post on X, Mamdani said, “Flatbush Avenue is closed from Clarendon Road to Bedford Avenue – please avoid the area so rescue crews can work.”
He further said that the city would provide additional information once officials were in a position to confirm the details of the incident.
Further details are awaited.
International News
Iran designates Argentine Navy, Air Force as ‘terrorist organisations’

Iran Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that the country has designated the Argentine Navy and Air Force as terrorist organisations.
The move came in response to the Argentine government’s decision in late March to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity, the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry described Argentina’s decision as “hostile and being in contradiction with the fundamental principles of international law,” saying Iran’s move was based on the principle of reciprocity and a domestic law on reciprocal action against the US designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.
The law calls for equivalent countermeasures against countries that comply with or support Washington’s actions against Tehran, the statement said, Xinhua news agency reported. The ministry held the Argentine government responsible for all consequences arising from the decision, stressing that the IRGC is an integral part of Iran’s armed forces.
The office of Argentine President Javier Milei announced on March 31 that Argentina had designated the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.
The decision followed calls by US President Donald Trump’s administration for its allies to designate the IRGC and Hezbollah as terrorist organisations.
The Argentine government said the measure had been adopted in response to the IRGC’s support for Hezbollah, a Lebanese armed group, which Buenos Aires blames for a deadly 1994 bombing attack on the AMIA Jewish community centre in the capital city. The attack killed 85 people and injured over 300 others.
Earlier this month, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that Tehran had designated Britain’s Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Secret Intelligence Service as “terrorist and hostile” entities over the British government’s anti-Iran actions.
Meanwhile, Qatar said Tuesday that progress had been made in negotiations between the United States and Iran, describing recent White House talks involving Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani as positive, while cautioning that it was too early to predict when an agreement could be reached.
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