According to The Washington Post, the mines used were American BLU-91/B anti-tank land mines, which are deployed by aircraft using the Gator mine scattering system.
The United States has reportedly begun deploying landmines in parts of southern Iran as part of its war effort against Tehran, particularly near the outskirts of Shiraz, according to a Friday report by The Washington Post and claims by Iranian media.
The WaPo report cited four munitions experts to identify the landmines, which were seen in social media posts published over the last couple of days near the city.
According to the analysis, the mines used were American BLU-91/B anti-tank land mines, which are deployed by aircraft using the Gator mine scattering system.
The experts pointed out that the US is the only party with this system in its arsenal, while Israel does not use this kind of mine in its operations.
According to social media posts, the mines were spotted about 4 kilometers from one of the main ballistic missile sites on the outskirts of Shiraz. The Post report also pointed out that mobile launchers are usually positioned near these sites, with the mines difficulting the mobility of the launchers and their attack capabilities.
“While these land mines are meant to target armored vehicles, they can still be extremely dangerous to civilians,” Brian Castner, a weapons investigator with Amnesty International, told The Washington Post.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) declined to comment on these reports.
New Operation Beeper using tuna cans
Iran's West Asia News Agency (WANA) also reported on the mines, claiming that several people were killed and wounded by them.
According to the Iranian State News Agency, at least one person was killed by the mines. The agency also warned people to stay away from “any misshapen, deformed, or unusual metal cans.”
WANA also claimed that the mines were modified to look like food provisions, with some reports comparing their deployment to the Beeper Operation against Hezbollah in 2024.
A video circulating online, cited in the report, showed one of the alleged "explosive cans" and its explosion, while no one was visibly injured during the blast.
