Oman has urged mariners to be cautious after a floating object believed to be a sea mine was discovered in its territorial waters near the Strait of Hormuz. The announcement was made by the Oman Maritime Security Centre on May 30.
The probable mine, according to the centre, was discovered west of the coastal shipping lane in the Strait of Hormuz. The agency urged fishermen, ships and other mariners to keep a safe distance from suspicious objects and report them to authorities.
The centre did not name the origin of the device.
The warning came amid safety concerns on this important waterway after the US-Israeli war against Iran began and reports that Tehran had planted mines in the strait.
On 29 May, US President Donald Trump said Iran must remove all sea mines from the Strait of Hormuz as part of a broader agreement with Washington.
“The Strait of Hormuz should be immediately opened without tolls to unrestricted shipping traffic in both directions,” he wrote on his Truth Social network.
Separately, Qatar said it opposed permanent transit fees for ships using the strait, but would consider imposing temporary fees if they were to be used for security-related purposes such as demining operations.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue Security Forum in Singapore on 30 May, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Sheikh Saud bin Abdurrahman Al-Thani said the Gulf States were opposed to long-term levies because they would increase costs for consumers. At the same time, he said temporary levies related to restoring safe shipping were “subject to discussion”.