The armada of US Navy vessels blockading Iranian ports also faces a hazardous mission that can help solve the global fuel crisis: clearing any sea mines the regime has laid.

Iran's navy had about 5000 sea mines before the conflict began, but strikes by the United States and Israel over past weeks has reduced its stocks to about 500. The Pentagon also says Iran has lost all of its mine-laying vessels. 

But experts warn Iran still has the ability to strike back in the Strait of Hormuz against warships, oil tankers and other vessels with what remains of its sea mine arsenal.

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Former Royal Australian Navy mine warfare specialist Andy Perry warned this month the relatively low-cost weapons are hard to detect and equally hazardous to destroy.

They come in various forms: Spiked, such as those used in World War II; Influence mines detonated by the static electricity from passing ships; Magnetic ones that react to changes in the "magnetic signature" of the water; Acoustic mines that react to noises by ships; Pressure mines that explode when water pressure changes.

Perry, writing for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, says mines are an ideal weapon for an outnumbered and outgunned combatant, such as Iran.

"They require little training or specialist support. They are easy to deploy: they can be placed in the water from civilian boats, small craft or submarines.

"And unlike many other naval weapons, they can be laid without direct combat interaction with an adversary, remaining dormant until activated by a passing vessel."

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While the mine clearance abilities of the US Navy and other western navies have improved to advanced levels, it remains a tough and potentially deadly task.

The conventional tactic is for naval ships to sweep an are of the sea for mines.

Once detected, mines moored to the sea floor have their cables cut, then when they float to the surface, or when they're destroyed.

Mines lurking at the bottom of the ocean can be detected by minesweeping ships using acoustic, electrical or magnetic signals before they're eliminated by a controlled explosion.

They can also be detected by sonar on underwater drones or lasers mounted on the drones or even on helicopters and then destroyed safely.

But the ever-present danger makes any mine clearing mission a lengthy one when caution comes first.

The task could be even tougher with reports the Iranian navy doesn't know the exact places around the Strait of Hormuz where it laid their mines.

It means the timeline to clear them can pull out from days to weeks to even months, a duration the global economy can ill afford.

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EXCLUSIVE: A bizarre theft in Perth has been caught on camera, showing a man snatching an armful of premium beef worth hundreds of dollars.

The "brisket bandit" left the Southern River butcher furious and sparked a police investigation.

CCTV shows him tucking into a box of Shapes before the meat heist begins.

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"You can watch old mate just walking through, having a look, eating his crackers," Rump Shakers Southern River butcher John Bain told 9News.

He then jumps the counter and makes off with what Bain said was two briskets weighing about 15 kilograms.

"It just annoys me, he obviously didn't care about being caught I reckon," Bain said.

Bain posted about the theft on social media and was inundated with loyal customers trying to help.

"Smile you piece of shit your (sic) on camera," he wrote this morning.

"Anyone know this low life?

"It's going to be on every chat page I know and the police will have the footage this morning.

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"Hey at least be a smart criminal and not stop in clear view of the camera's (sic)."

Online sleuths have since been able to identify a potential suspect.

CCTV has been handed over to the police, who are investigating.

But in the meantime it's a costly loss the small business has to absorb. 

"The uncontrollable costs are just going through the roof at the moment – not just me, not just butchers, small business in general, and families as well, we're all feeling it," Bain said.

Charges are yet to be laid over the theft but Bain says he'll be beefing up security.

"Mate, go out and earn a dollar. Don't steal from us," he said.

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A South Australian One Nation candidate has questioned how new electoral laws impacted the electoral commission after uncounted votes thrust her seat of Narungga into a third vote count.

Chantelle Thomas claimed the Yorke Peninsula seat two weeks ago on a razor-thin margin of just 58 votes.

The March 21 vote was so close that a recount was called in the electorate to ensure there were no errors.

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But South Australia's Electoral Commission (ECSA) today ordered a second recount of the vote after 81 unopened ballot papers were found in the neighbouring district of Stuart.

The unopened batch of votes was collected from the Port Pirie early voting centre on Tuesday, Deputy Premier Kyam Maher said.

The commission said its acting commissioner Leah McLay contacted all candidates to notify them of the third count.

"Following the discovery of votes that have not been counted, I have secured the unopened ballot papers and have ordered a further count for the district of Narungga," McLay said.

"The Commission will support any independent external review into the 2026 State Election and South Australian First Nations Voice to Parliament Election."

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The recount will take place tomorrow, attended by scrutineers and McLay herself.

Thomas slammed news of the recount as "very disappointing for my community in Narungga".

"We're being forced to wait – again – to see who will be Narungga's representative in Parliament," she said.

"Let's be clear: this raises serious questions about the integrity of the South Australian election, whether the electoral commission was fully prepared for it, and how Labor's new electoral laws – passed with Liberal support – impacted on the electoral commission's preparations.

"Like everyone else, I'll have to wait for the count on Friday. Afterwards I'm sure there will be more to say about it."

An independent review into the election has been ordered by the government, Maher said.

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"Elections are incredibly complex things to undertake. There are thousands of employees, hundreds of polling booths and over a million votes to count," Maher said.

"We are now finalising terms of reference and in an addition to that an independent review of how the election was conducted and voters experience."

Narungga was the final lower house seat to be called in the election, granting Pauline Hanson's conservative party its fourth seat in Parliament.

Thomas defeated fellow Yorke Peninsula local and Liberal candidate Tania Stock to claim the seat.

The South Australian Liberal Party was reduced to five seats in the Labor Party's landslide victory on election night.

SA Liberal Party leader Ashton Hurn called the vote count bungle "hugely concerning" and said ECSA has "a lot of explaining to do".

"There's been a string of errors really from the Electoral Commission and I think we need to get to the bottom of how this was able to occur because that will mean into the future we can make sure that it doesn't happen again," she said.

"If a batch of votes can essentially vanish into thin air and then appear four weeks later, it does raise questions about other seats."

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