US-Iran form Hormuz hotline to prevent more military clashes, prep for de-mining

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is establishing a direct military hotline with Iran aimed at preventing more dangerous confrontations in the Strait of Hormuz as international forces prepare a major effort to clear mines from one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.The proposed communication channel between US Central Command and Tehran is a key result of Sunday’s US-Iran negotiations and would allow the two to quickly deconflict military activity and head off incidents that could spiral into a broader conflict.Vice President JD Vance described the arrangement as Iran sending “somebody from the IRGC to go hang out in Doha with somebody from CENTCOM” in a Thursday report by UnHerd.“That’s how we’re going to settle a lot of these disputes,” he added.While the vice president described a physical arrangement, regional sources familiar with the arrangement — as well as Iranian media — have said it would rather resemble a “hotline” between the two militaries that can be used to lodge complaints rather than lobbing missiles or drones.IRGC spokesman Brig.Gen.

Hossein Mohebbi went a step further, describing Vance’s claim as “an outright lie,” according to the IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency.“Such a thing has neither happened nor will it happen,” he said.But the idea of a hotline emerged from the talks in Switzerland and reflects growing concern that misunderstandings or overreactions by Tehran could threaten commercial shipping through the narrow waterway, which carries roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply.A military-to-military communication channel between the two fierce enemies is unprecedented, representing a potentially historic breakthrough after decades of hostility between Washington and Tehran.Iran’s state-run Press TV described it as a way to “prevent incidents in the Strait of Hormuz that might lead to military confrontation” in a report on Friday.It will come in handy for two reasons: military deco...