NEW YORK, March 20. /TASS/. US forces have concentrated on destroying Iranian mine-laying vessels and modified fast boats used for that purpose to limit Iran’s ability to block the Strait of Hormuz, ABC News reported citing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine.

According to him, the US military has already destroyed 44 such vessels. Aircraft, including A-10 attack jets, are used to target mine-laying ships.

Citing a US Navy official, ABC News said two of the three US warships with counter-mine capabilities, usually stationed in Bahrain, are currently undergoing maintenance in Singapore. These ships are the USS Tulsa and the USS Santa Barbara.

The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit.

On March 11, a Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters spokesman reported that Iran would not allow US-affiliated oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. On March 15, he warned that Tehran would use any means necessary, including controlling the navigation of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, to force the enemy to surrender.