WWI minefields warn against forcing Hormuz by sea

John W S Clark argues that trying to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by naval force would risk major casualties and failure, drawing a century‑old parallel with the 1915 Dardanelles campaign where mines and fortifications sank several battleships; the piece suggests passages through Hormuz cannot be cleared by sea alone and urges a cautious, non‑purely naval approach to Iran rather than a large-scale sea confrontation.