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Is The U.S. Dropping Mines To Stop Iranian Missile Launchers?
Is The U.S. Dropping Mines To Stop Iranian Missile Launchers?
Scattering mines around remote missile facilities and launch points would make sense in order to further degrade Iranian launches.
Howard Altman, Joseph Trevithick, Tyler Rogoway
Updated Mar 26, 2026 9:10 PM EDT
Iran State Media/CENTCOM composite
The TWZ Newsletter
Iran is accusing the U.S. of dropping anti-tank landmines in an area near one of its underground missile facilities (often referred to as missile cities) that it claims killed several people. While we cannot independently verify the provenance of the images provided by Iranian media or the casualty claims, the use of these munitions would make sense. Despite an intense bombing campaign against Iran’s missiles and launch sites, the Islamic Republic is still firing these weapons at targets across the Middle East. A highly-targeted area-denial campaign around specific missile facilities using mines could help reduce that threat.
The accusation about the landmines came Thursday morning in the form of social media posts by Iran’s official Tasnim news agency.
“These explosive packages resemble ready-made canned food, are somewhat larger than tuna cans, and contain explosives that detonate after being opened, causing casualties,” Tasnim wrote on Telegram. “These packages have been dropped in the skies over the southern suburbs of Shiraz, especially in the village of Kafari, and unfortunately have caused the martyrdom of several people in these areas.”
The Tasnim posts included several pictures of what appear to be BLU-91/B scatterable anti-tank landmines.
{snip}
Scattering mines around remote missile facilities and launch points would make sense in order to further degrade Iranian launches.
Howard Altman, Joseph Trevithick, Tyler Rogoway
Updated Mar 26, 2026 9:10 PM EDT
Iran State Media/CENTCOM composite
The TWZ Newsletter
Iran is accusing the U.S. of dropping anti-tank landmines in an area near one of its underground missile facilities (often referred to as missile cities) that it claims killed several people. While we cannot independently verify the provenance of the images provided by Iranian media or the casualty claims, the use of these munitions would make sense. Despite an intense bombing campaign against Iran’s missiles and launch sites, the Islamic Republic is still firing these weapons at targets across the Middle East. A highly-targeted area-denial campaign around specific missile facilities using mines could help reduce that threat.
The accusation about the landmines came Thursday morning in the form of social media posts by Iran’s official Tasnim news agency.
“These explosive packages resemble ready-made canned food, are somewhat larger than tuna cans, and contain explosives that detonate after being opened, causing casualties,” Tasnim wrote on Telegram. “These packages have been dropped in the skies over the southern suburbs of Shiraz, especially in the village of Kafari, and unfortunately have caused the martyrdom of several people in these areas.”
The Tasnim posts included several pictures of what appear to be BLU-91/B scatterable anti-tank landmines.
{snip}
Hat tip, Joe.My.God.
WaPo: Pentagon Is Dispersing Land Mines Across Iran
March 27, 2026 Trump Administration, United States
The Washington Post reports:
Images posted to social media Thursday show what experts said are U.S. land mines dispersed across a residential area in southern Iran, in what appears to be the first instance in more than two decades of American forces using the weapons.
The photos show American BLU-91/B anti-tank land mines, which are released from an aircraft as part of the Gator mine scattering system, according to four munitions experts who reviewed the imagery at The Washington Post’s request. The United States is the only party in the Iran war known to possess the system.
In a Telegram post Thursday, the Iranian State News Agency said at least one person had been killed and others injured as a result of the “explosive packages that resemble cans,” and it warned people to stay away from “any misshapen, deformed, or unusual metal cans.
{snip}
March 27, 2026 Trump Administration, United States
The Washington Post reports:
Images posted to social media Thursday show what experts said are U.S. land mines dispersed across a residential area in southern Iran, in what appears to be the first instance in more than two decades of American forces using the weapons.
The photos show American BLU-91/B anti-tank land mines, which are released from an aircraft as part of the Gator mine scattering system, according to four munitions experts who reviewed the imagery at The Washington Post’s request. The United States is the only party in the Iran war known to possess the system.
In a Telegram post Thursday, the Iranian State News Agency said at least one person had been killed and others injured as a result of the “explosive packages that resemble cans,” and it warned people to stay away from “any misshapen, deformed, or unusual metal cans.
{snip}