[Hegseth Draws Red Line: Iran Planting More Mines in the Strait of Hormuz Will Be Seen as Breaking the Ceasefire Agreement] According to a report by Jinse Finance, U.S. Secretary of Defense Hegseth has warned that any further deployment of mines by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz will constitute a violation of the ceasefire agreement. The core challenge faced by the U.S. is that Iran heavily relies on small, fast attack boats, which can easily blend in with civilian vessels and fishing fleets. Iran possesses hundreds of highly mobile, low-detectability vessels capable of conducting operations from coastal areas, islands, and concealed bases. These boats use simple shipborne equipment, such as small cranes, to deploy mines, often operating under the cover of night or in coordinated swarms to evade surveillance systems. As a result, it is extremely difficult for the U.S. to detect and confirm whether Iran is continuing to deploy mines. There is also significant uncertainty regarding the total number of mines already deployed. Even Iran itself may not have complete knowledge of the exact locations and quantities of all the mines.