Mine Lie-fare in the Strait

The Navy is desperate to be able to broadcast good news, any good news and they’re not at all above spinning (or lying, if you prefer a more accurate term) to try to claim success.  Consider this latest announcement about mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
 

I have just been informed by the United States Navy that all mines have been removed and/or detonated from within the International Waters of the Strait of Hormuz.[1]

I flat out don’t believe this – not that I don’t believe the Navy has cleared mines but that I don’t believe there were ever any mines to begin with.  In all the time this conflict has been going on, there has never been a single authenticated report of a mine sighting.  No photos.  No nothing.  We’ve had extensive documentation of every other weapon, facility, ship, airfield, attack or whatever that Iran had and tried to use but not one instance of a documented mine.  The only possible conclusion is that there were never any mines to begin with.
 
The Navy is attempting to claim credit for removing something that never existed.
 
Further, I’ve been unable to find any documentation that a MCM-LCS was ever deployed to the strait during this conflict and, in fact, some LCS were removed from the area, early on, and relocated to the Pacific.  We have no functional Avenger class vessels left and I’ve seen no reports of any of the few remaining MH-53E MCM helos being deployed, if there are any still deployable given that they are long past retirement age.  So, what did the Navy use to clear these purported mines?
 
 
 
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[1]Redstate, “Trump: All Mines Now Cleared From Strait of Hormuz”, Ward Clark, 25-Aug-2026,
https://redstate.com/wardclark/2026/08/25/trump-all-mines-now-cleared-from-strait-of-hormuz-n2206040