Trump orders Navy to destroy any boats laying mines in Strait of Hormuz
President Trump on Thursday said he ordered the U.S. military to “shoot and kill” any boat caught putting mines in the Strait of Hormuz, as his administration ramps up mine-clearing efforts in the critical waterway.
“I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be (Their naval ships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!), that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. There is to be no hesitation,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“Additionally, our mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!” he added.
Trump’s post comes amid uncertainty over how long the strait will be unusable as Trump on Tuesday extended the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely and has kept the blockade in place.
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the Pentagon told Congress that clearing the mines out of the strait could take six months.
The vital waterway typically sees the passage of about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas, but oil-tanker traffic has been less than normal since the start of the war, leaving oil prices high.
U.S. Central Command posted on X overnight that U.S. forces 31 directed vessels to “turn around or return to port as part of the U.S. blockade against Iran.”
In a subsequent post on Thursday, the president said Iran was having a “very hard time figuring out who their leader is.”
“They just don’t know! The infighting is between the ‘Hardliners,’ who have been losing BADLY on the battlefield, and the ‘Moderates,’ who are not very moderate at all (but gaining respect!), is CRAZY!” he wrote. “We have total control over the Strait of Hormuz. No ship can enter or leave without the approval of the United States Navy. It is ‘Sealed up Tight,’ until such time as Iran is able to make a DEAL!!!”
The White House has said the president is not putting a deadline on when Iran has to provide a new peace proposal to the U.S.