Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy chokepoint that carries about one-fifth of all crude oil, according to two people familiar with US intelligence reporting on the issue.
 
The mining is not extensive yet, with a few dozen having been laid in recent days, the sources said. But Iran still retains upward of 80% to 90% of its small boats and mine layers, one of the sources said, so its forces could feasibly lay hundreds of mines in the waterway.
 
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which now effectively controls the strait along with Iran’s traditional navy, has the capability to deploy a “gauntlet” of dispersed mine-laying craft, explosive-laden boats and shore-based missile batteries, CNN has reported.
 
The IRGC previously warned that any ship passing through the strait would be attacked, and the channel has effectively been closed since the start of the war. The state of the strait has been described to CNN as a “death valley” given the risks involved in transiting.
 
US officials said today that the US Navy had not escorted any vessels through the strait, though President Donald Trump said Monday that his administration was looking at options to do so.

WONG: If this drags out for a month or two, is there a role for Congress then to step in? At what point does Congress need to assert itself?
 
MIKE JOHNSON: We have asserted ourselves. This commander in chief desires peace. He's ended 8 wars.

Whistleblower claims ex-DOGE member says he took Social Security data to new job
The Social Security inspector general’s office is investigating allegations that the former DOGE engineer took sensitive data on a thumb drive in a major potential security breach, said people familiar with the process.
 
The Social Security Administration’s internal watchdog is investigating a complaint that alleges a former U.S. DOGE Service employee claimed he had access to two highly sensitive agency databases and planned to share the information with his private employer — a claim that, if true, would constitute an unprecedented breach of security protocols at an agency that serves more than 70 million Americans.
The agency’s inspector general is investigating the disclosure and has alerted members of Congress of its existence, according to a letter by the acting inspector general to top members of four congressional committees reviewed by The Washington Post and two people familiar with the process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive deliberations. The inspector general’s office has also shared the disclosure with the Government Accountability Office, which has been conducting its own audit of DOGE’s access to data, according to one of the people. The Post has reviewed the complaint and spoken with the whistleblower, who issued the complaint anonymously for fear of retaliation.
According to the disclosure, the former DOGE software engineer, who worked at the Social Security Administration last year before starting a job at a government contractor in October, allegedly told several co-workers that he possessed two tightly restricted databases of U.S. citizens’ information, and had at least one on a thumb drive. The databases, called “Numident” and the “Master Death File,” include records for more than 500 million living and dead Americans, including Social Security numbers, places and dates of birth, citizenship, race and ethnicity, and parents’ names. The complaint does not include specific dates of when he is said to have told colleagues this information, but at least one of the alleged events unfolded around early January, according to the complaint. While working at DOGE, the engineer had approved access to Social Security data.
According to the complaint, he allegedly told the whistleblower that he needed help transferring data from a thumb drive “to his personal computer so that he could ‘sanitize’ the data before using it at [the company.]” The engineer told colleagues that once he had removed personal details from the data, he wanted to upload it into the company’s systems. He told another colleague, who refused to help him upload the data because of legal concerns, that he expected to receive a presidential pardon if his actions were deemed to be illegal, according to the complaint.
The complaint does not allege that the engineer was successful in uploading the data to the company’s system.
 
[...]

Nuclear experts undercut White House claims about Iran reactor at heart of case for war
The Trump administration sent negotiators without nuclear expertise to lead talks on Iran’s enrichment program. Now, its public case for war centers on a facility that experts say cannot do what officials claim.

Roberts: The battle for Okinawa, one island, took 86 days and 250,000 casualties. So, for gas prices to go up a little bit and raising so much concern—think of how much worse it was in World War II than what we’re facing now.

Regarding Iran's threats to the Strait, Trump claims, "We have the greatest mine sweeping ability." Um, no.

The U.S. Navy has never prioritized this mission. It retired its last dedicated mine countermeasure ship IN 2025. The U.S. would likely need help from allies to conduct a major clearance operation today. It would be time consuming and bring vulnerable ships and helicopters very close to Iran's shores.

I personally am not as concerned about Iranian mine threats to tankers as I am about projectiles, but POTUS statement simply isn't true.

These are the last of the four Avenger class mine countermeasure ships being heavy lifted from the Persian Gulf earlier this year.  

Now there are three Independence class LCS with minesweeping module fitted, but untested in combat.