osintdefender

Analyst comment: Attacks using small craft to attach explosives, such as limpet mines, to ships will be difficult for U.S. forces to counter. A device attached by a boat in a matter of minutes leaves little warning. The strait is crowded with dhows, fishing boats and other small craft, and analysts believe Iran retains hundreds of small boats of its own. A U.S. official told Reuters this month that the IRGC is already using dhows as spotters. A hostile boat can look like legitimate traffic until it is alongside a ship, and U.S. forces must weigh the risk of striking civilian craft. They also can’t screen every tanker on the U.S. guided route.

This graphic produced by the U.S. from a previous limpet mine incident shows examples of both a mine emplaced on the hull and damage resulting from the detonation of a mine.