Exail Technologies is retreating 8% in Paris, penalized by an announcement from Donald Trump claiming that Iran "with the help of the United States, has removed, or is in the process of removing, all sea mines" from the Strait of Hormuz, as part of its imminent reopening.

The shares had gained 8.5% over the month, sought after by investors who hoped that Exail and its underwater detection technologies would be called upon to detect and identify mines placed in the passage. Donald Trump's announcement therefore undermines this scenario.

According to our data, Exail Technologies is also among the five most shorted French stocks, with an estimated gauge of 8.21% of the capital in terms of visible weight—meaning short funds holding 0.5% or more in bearish positions. Seven funds have been identified, the largest being Qube Research with a 1.84% stake.

"For us, Exail's investment case is only very indirectly linked to the conflict in Iran," reacted Julien Thomas, analyst at TP ICAP Midcap. According to the expert, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz primarily highlighted the asymmetric risk of underwater mining and the total lack of available and modern countermeasures from the US, as well as the need to strengthen mine prevention for Gulf countries.

According to TP ICAP Midcap, the truly significant news for the stock concerns Australia's project to build a nuclear submarine base under the AUKUS framework, given that this base will require a brand-new mine clearance force. "We view any weakness in the share price related to this newsflow as a buying opportunity," the analyst concluded.