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Allied governments are questioning Donald Trump's assertion that the Strait of Hormuz has been fully cleared of mines.
Their warning is specific: residual Iranian mines may continue to pose a threat to shipping operations through the passage.
The strait sits at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the primary sea corridor for oil moving out of the region's major producers. A credible mine threat there does not remain a contained military problem.
It prices into tanker routing decisions, insurance assessments, and the commodities that move through the water. Trump's clearance claim, taken at face value, would signal a return to normal commercial transit.
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