A previously unreported element of the Hormuz picture emerged on Saturday: Britain and France have been preparing a de-mining operation for the strait, and it has been delayed by the latest attacks on shipping [1].

Bloomberg, republished by the maritime outlet Infomarine, reports that British and French mine-hunting vessels and forces are positioned to begin a limited de-mining operation in Omani waters once a military order is given. The officials from both countries who described the plans asked not to be identified because they have not been made public [1].

The deployment follows what the report calls a diplomatic breakthrough: Oman has been persuaded to endorse the mission and to let the two European powers help clear its southern route. That matters because the southern route through Omani waters is the alternative to the Iranian side of the strait, and because Muscat has so far been central to the separate, contested Iran-Oman arrangement for Gulf transits that shipping associations have criticised at the IMO [1].

The setback is the timing. The report says the plans were dealt a blow by fresh attacks on vessels passing through the waterway, days after Oman granted permission. It does not identify which attacks, and the article text available is short, so the specific incidents behind the delay cannot be confirmed from this source alone [1].

Two caveats. The operation is described as limited and confined to Omani waters, not the whole strait, and no start date or order has been announced. And the reporting rests on unnamed officials, so the mission's status should be treated as reported rather than confirmed. Even so, the fact that European navies are preparing to clear mines from the corridor is a materially new dimension alongside the tanker strikes and the unresolved question of how much traffic is actually moving.