WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is moving to set up a direct military communications line with Iran, a step intended to reduce the risk of escalating clashes in the Strait of Hormuz as international forces gear up for a major mine-clearing operation in one of the world’s most important maritime corridors.
The planned channel, linking US Central Command with Tehran, emerged as a central outcome of Sunday’s US-Iran talks. Officials see it as a way for both sides to rapidly clarify military movements and prevent encounters from widening into a larger confrontation.
Vice President JD Vance, speaking in a Thursday report by UnHerd, characterized the setup as Iran sending “somebody from the IRGC to go hang out in Doha with somebody from CENTCOM.”
“That’s how we’re going to settle a lot of these disputes,” he said.
After US forces struck Iran on Friday in response to Tehran’s attack on a cargo ship, Vance urged Iranian officials to rely on the new line of communication going forward.
“Iran signed a ceasefire agreement. We have honored it. If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone,” Vance wrote on X. “But violence will be met with violence.”
Although Vance initially suggested an in-person arrangement, regional sources familiar with the plan — along with Iranian media reports — have described it more as a military “hotline,” designed to let the two sides file complaints and resolve incidents without resorting to missiles or drones.
IRGC spokesman Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi rejected Vance’s account, calling it “an outright lie,” according to the IRGC-linked Fars News Agency.
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 deconfliction and avoiding clashes once the US and coalition forces begin demining the strait, insiders say.
First, it will give Iranian officials a direct avenue to raise complaints about military incidents in the region rather than retaliating through attacks on commercial vessels or maritime infrastructure.
That’s particularly important as the strait remains a dangerous place despite the US-Iran memorandum of understanding establishing its reopening, as well as a full cease-fire for the area.
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On Thursday, Iran struck a Singapore-flagged vessel sailing through a US-backed Omani corridor, which President Trump a day later declared a “foolish violation” of the agreement. In response, the US unleashed military strikes on Friday in Iran.
Second, the hotline will help facilitate a looming multinational effort to clear the Strait of Hormuz of mines — about 80 of which remain in the oil chokepoint, the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization said Friday.
While the US-Iran MOU specifies that Iran would be responsible for demining the strait, experts warn that Tehran does not have the technology or experience to clear the strait enough to calm the nerves of shippers.
“The best thing possible is for Iran to identify where they think they put the mine, and then for us to go clear it,” Foundation for Defending Democracies’ senior fellow, retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, told The Post.
“Do I think they could clear a mine? Yes. Do I think they could sanitize an area as valid, verify an area as clear of mines in a way that a merchant ship would trust it? No,” he added.
But before US and allied vessels can begin demining operations, officials want assurances Iranian forces will not misidentify or target ships operating in the area — for which the channel can be used.
The US military has plans and is prepared to move forward with demining operations if diplomatic talks continue to progress, a defense source familiar with military planning told The Post.
Ideally, the mission would involve an international coalition and could serve as one of the first tangible signs of cooperation stemming from the broader US-Iran talks.
European leaders, including France and the United Kingdom, have been plotting for months a de-mining operation to help re-open the strait, with the contingency that the conflict first comes to a close.
“The multinational military mission is ready to act,” a European official told The Post.
The UK’s Royal Navy said its RFA Lyme arrived in the region this week “packed with around half a dozen leading edge autonomous, crewless and remotely-operated systems” and 270 British and French sailors to help with demining efforts.
“The ship … has been quickly converted into a ‘mothership’ to accommodate and operate a string of new systems and craft as part of a proposed multi-national effort to render the gateway to the Gulf safe for merchant traffic to pass,” it said in a statement.
Iran laid mines in the strait throughout the war in its retaliatory efforts, closing the strait, and the floating explosives still represent one of the most severe risks to ships aiming to sail through the now technically open strait.
While the MOU holds that “Iran will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels,” military analysts say Tehran does not have the capability to rid the waterway of the mines they laid.
The Trump administration believes reopening the waterway and ensuring safe passage for commercial vessels will help further drive down the price of oil and provide an immediate economic benefit to countries throughout the region.
CENTCOM did not respond to requests for comment.
